Return to Prominence
by Kozumikkukage
Summary: The samurai have been displaced, relics in the shinobi world. But they will rise once more, to show the world that they still have a place in it. Join Uzumaki Naruto as he leads the return of the samurai into the world of ninjutsu. Samurai!NaruXHarem VERY Slight One Piece Xover
1. New Beginnings

A/N: What's up guys, it's Kozu here, and I'm bringing to you a new installment of Naruto! Now I know that I have been gone for a long time, and I've made some promises that I shouldn't have. _I'm sorry._ The readers deserve better than this, I know. I've been around the site, trying to find some inspiration for some of my stories. Safe to say I failed. To be honest, I felt so conflicted about beginning new stories because I had really wanted to finish my previous ones first. Bu t I can't keep my thoughts all bottled up anymore. This story now, I gained some inspiration from the samurai naruto fics out there, such as _The Ninja Samurai_, as well as_ Better Left Unsaid _and _Drifting,_ all great Naruto fics.(I highly recommend you check those out.) I pray to whatever higher power that is out there to keep me on track with this story. Wish me luck.

Disclaimer. I don't own anything Naruto franchise nor anything of the One Piece franchise.

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"_Inner conversation"_

"**Higher Entity Speaking"**

**Techniques**

* * *

Naruto had always been a curious boy. Whenever something peaked his interest, he did what he could to find out about it. One time, he had seen a small orange book that had a man and lady running about, hearts all about the cover. He had asked his jiji, the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, what the book was about. Hiruzen refused, telling Naruto that he will tell him when he is older. So Naruto asked his Onii-chan, Inu. Inu was reluctant, but Naruto persisted, even threatening to tell Neko-neechan about the time where Inu peeped on the ladies in the bathhouse. And that, my friends, is why Naruto knows where babies come from.

That being said, one day, he had heard of the word _Samurai, _said by the Hokage just as young Naruto entered his office for one of their annual meetings, Naruto questioned him about it.

"Jiji-san, what's a samurai?" Naruto asked. Hiruzen cleared his throat and addressed the boy.

"Well hello Naruto, it's good to see you." Naruto hurriedly jumped into Hiruzen's arms, embracing his surrogate grandfather. "Why did you want to know?"

"It's cuz I just heard you talking about them, and about a place called Tetsu no Kuni. Are they like shinobi? Do they use cool jutsu that can, like, make iron fall from the sky or something?" Naruto was very anxious to know about samurai, and was bouncing in Hiruzen's lap. The old man sighed, and prepared for a long explanation.

"Yes, Naruto, samurai are somewhat like shinobi, but they don't use jutsu. You see Naruto, the samurai are experts of the blade, some are even masters. They are from a time before shinobi, before the world of ninjutsu. They are fierce warriors, fighting by and for honor, as their code, Bushidō, dictates. The samurai can use chakra like shinobi, but use it as a way to empower their blades, through the use of form manipulation. Though they are rare in this day and age, they still hold a very notable place in the world, as the main military force of Tetsu no Kuni." Hiruzen noted that Naruto had hung onto every one of his words, his eyes wide in admiration.

"WOW! That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed. He then froze for a moment, his expression forced into a form of wonder. "Jiji, why is it that samurai are rare nowadays?" Hiruzen gave the boy a solemn look as he regaled the fall of the samurai.

"It's because, Naruto, their code of Bushido limits their abilities to service the daimyo. It prevents them from carrying out assassinations and other activities that the code deems dishonorable. Us shinobi have no such limitations, which has allowed the daimyo to expand their power through use of subterfuge and political intrigue. Also, the invention of ninjutsu had allowed for faster combat, much quicker than the usual swordplay of the samurai. With ninjutsu, a single shinobi could take out whole armies in the time a battalion of samurai took to destroy one. As shinobi grew more popular with the daimyo, the samurai fell out of favor. Soon after, the shinobi had replaced the samurai as the daimyo's main military might."

Naruto became silent, his developing mind processing this information slowly but surely. The way of the samurai interested him very much, and such an honorable way of life seemed a lot more appealing to the young blonde. Momentarily, Naruto looked up to Hiruzen once more.

"Do you think I'll ever meet a samurai, Jiji?" Hiruzen thought it over for a bit, deciding whether or not to instill false hope into the boy. The odds of meeting a samurai in this day and age were slim, unless one were to go to Tetsu no Kuni. He decided to be optimistic.

"Yes Naruto, I'm sure that one day you'll meet one of these magnificent warriors." As Hiruzen stared at Naruto, he witnessed one of the boy's signature grins, and Hiruzen himself smiled from it.

"Yatta! I'm gonna meet a samurai, dattebayo!" Naruto jumped to his feet and rushed out the door. As he left, Naruto called out. "Thanks Jiji! I'll see you next week!"

"Good-bye Naruto, take care!" Hiruzen called out. With Naruto gone, Hiruzen then returned to his previous task of doing paperwork. He gave one last mournful sigh before working on the bane of his existence. _'Okay, shipment of a thousand logs of chakra-infused wood to Nagao Korekata, Samurai of Tetsu no Kuni. Approved. Petition for one "Uzumaki Naruto" to be sent to the Kagoshima Orphanage. The same orphanage that abused Naruto until he was six? Denied. Honestly, how foolish can people be?'_

* * *

Naruto next ventured to Ichiraku Ramen, one of his favorite places in the world. He had a spring in his step, and couldn't wait to tell the Ichirakus what he had learnt. The young Uzumaki had arrived at his destination, and pushed back the curtains that lead into the establishment. Taking a seat, he was soon greeted by the head of the Ichiraku family, Teuchi.

"Welcome Naruto. How have you been?" The old chief asked.

"I've been great Teuchi-jiisan. I learned something really cool today! Oh, and I'll take three bowls of miso please!"

"Coming up Naruto. Ayame, three bowls of miso!"

"On it dad!" Ayame yelled from the back.

"So what did you learn today Naruto." Teuchi leaned against the counter as Naruto recited all he had learned about the samurai. As they were discussing, a man with short white hair entered the stand. He was dressed in a black haori and hakama, wearing geta sandals with dark blue tabi socks. The man was tall and lean, his face unmarred except for a large scar stretching from his left eye to his jawline. His eyes were a cool onyx, relaxed yet hardened. Hanging from his obi was a katana, its saya and tsuka black, and the tsuba depicted two dragons chasing each other. The saya had the kanji for "Justice" and "Honor" engraved in it. Teuchi stopped Naruto and greeted the man.

"Hello, welcome to Ichiraku Ramen! How may I help you today?" Teuchi said cheerfully. The man looked at the menu for a brief moment.

"I'll have a seafood ramen, with extra vegetables." The man replied. His voice was deep and a bit gritty. Teuchi nodded and went to prepare his order. Naruto looked at the man in wonderment. He wondered if this man was a samurai. The Hokage did say that Naruto would meet one someday, maybe today was it?

"Hey, mister!" The man's attention drew to the little blonde, a piercing gaze met the blue orbs of the boy's eyes.

"What is it, gaki?"

"Are you a samurai?" The man raised an eyebrow at that.

"I _was _a samurai, gaki. I'm not one anymore." Naruto beamed at the man, who became a little disturbed with how intently the little boy was staring at him.

"So what are you then? How come you're not a samurai anymore?" The man sighed, little kids were annoying.

"I'm a rōnin, kid." Teuchi had returned with both Naruto's and the swordsman's orders

"What's that?"

"Rōnin are masterless samurai, akin to mercenaries." The man began to eat his food, trying to ignore the young blonde. Hopefully with his food here, the boy would stop asking so many questions. Despite the ramen waiting to be consumed by him, Naruto pressed on with his investigation.

"Samurai have to have masters?" Naruto inquired. The man grunted in affirmation as he slurped up his noodles. "What happened to yours, mister?" The man tensed up, his eyes hardened and glazed over as if zoning out.

"I don't want to talk about it..." The man murmured.

"Please mister! I really want to know!" Naruto insisted. The man's grip on his chopsticks tightened.

"No."

"But I-"

"I said leave it alone boy!" The man slammed his chopsticks down in annoyance and scowled at the boy. " Why are you even talking to me? Didn't your parents teach you to not talk to strangers?"

Naruto grew silent at that, his gaze drew to the bowl in front of him. "I... I don't have any parents. I'm sorry mister. I'll stop asking you stuff, 'ttebayo." Naruto began eating his food, but with not as much gusto as he usually does. The man silently stared at the boy, feeling a bit guilty for making the child sad. He sighed, and fully turned to face the boy.

"Hey, gaki. I'm sorry all right?" Naruto faced the man, his large blue eyes attentively staring at the stranger's visage. "It's just a sore topic for me, and I'm not completely over it. I'll answer anything else besides that." Naruto's frown turned upside down, transforming into the bright grin he is infamous for.

"Thank you mister! Let's start over. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konohagakure dattebayo!" Naruto stuck out his right hand in an offer of friendship. The rōnin stared at the small boy's hand, and slowly clasped it into his own.

"The name's Hitsugaya Kisuke, former samurai of Yuki no Kuni. You can call me Kisuke though." With a small shake, the two acquaintances returned to their meals. After the two finished, they paid for their food and left the ramen stand. Naruto bombarding Kisuke with questions all the while.

* * *

"So samurai are taught how to deal with politics as well as fighting?" Naruto asked, his hands in his pockets. Kisuke smirked, an arm resting on the hilt of his blade.

"That's right. Samurai are not just warriors, but politicians as well. We are taught from a young age the formalities and etiquette required at a formal gathering or court. We cut our enemies apart with both words and steel."

"You sure don't talk like one of those stuck-up people though, Kisuke-san. You talk like a regular person." Kisuke let out a small chuckle.

"There are two reasons for that, Naruto. One, I only speak like an aristocrat to other aristocrats, or to the people that I serve and respect. Two, I'm not a samurai anymore, so those rules don't apply to me. I don't have to worry about how I speak if I have no lord to embarrass."

"And what about your armor? Aren't samurai supposed to wear like heavy plate or something?"

"Well, gaki, armor is something to be worn for formal occasions and battle. Considering I'm not going to either, I'm not wearing my armor. Also, the type of armor the samurai wear depends on the occasion. If we are going to a party or meeting, we wear flashy, ceremonial armor. If we go into battle, then we wear strong, durable segmented plate.

"Hey, Kisuke-san?" Kisuke stared at Naruto, who had a hopeful expression on his face. "Do you think you could teach me the ways of the samurai?" The rōnin just stared down the blonde in response.

"...Why? Weren't you gonna be a shinobi or something?" Naruto shook his head.

"I did, but not anymore. The samurai seem like a lot cooler people to be than shinobi. Yeah, sure, a shinobi can spit fireballs and make giant dragons out of the elements, but they have no honor. I don't want to kill people, Kisuke-san, I just want to protect my precious people. If I do have to fight someone, I want it to be a fair fight, not one where I have to kill a defeated enemy." Naruto's voice grew more passionate the more he spoke, causing Kisuke to want to both smile and frown. He wanted to smile because the kid was so enamored with the ideals of honor, but he wanted to frown because the kid idolizes the idea of not killing anyone. Kisuke gently put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto, as much as I appreciate your respect for the way of the samurai, you need to understand that a samurai is but a servant of their lord. If your lord wishes you to kill someone, you are to do it without hesitation. Besides, shinobi are not so bad. They only wish to protect their precious people, though they will do it by any means necessary." Naruto's gaze was downcast.

"Does that mean you won't teach me, Kisuke-san?" Kisuke kneeled to meet the boy's eyes.

"I never said that Naruto. I just want you to understand that the path of the samurai is not as luxurious as it seems. If you decide to travel down this path, know that it will not be easy. You will face hardship in many different forms, and will be expected to conquer them all, never faltering in your pace. And you won't ever be able to become Hokage Naruto."

Naruto gasped. '_Never become Hokage?'_

"A samurai can never become lord, we exist only to serve." Naruto stayed silent for a moment, contemplating. "You are still young Naruto, only seven years-"

"Seven and a half, 'ttebayo!" Naruto protested indignantly

"...Seven _and_ _a half_ years old. I don't want you to make a decision you might regret."

"... I'm sure, Kisuke-san." Naruto got on his knees, and bowed before the rōnin. "Please, train me in the way of the samurai!" Kisuke's gaze was locked on the prostrated form of Naruto.

"...All right gaki, I'll train you. Meet me by the ramen stand tomorrow at seven sharp."

"Arigatō, Kisuke-san!I promise, you won't regret this, dattebayo!" With that, the two parted ways, Naruto anxiously awaiting tomorrow.

* * *

Naruto patiently awaited by Ichiraku Ramen, already having ate his breakfast just minutes before. He suddenly spotted Kisuke, who was carrying two wooden swords and a large bag. Naruto quickly rushed out to meet him.

"So, Kisuke-san, what are we gonna do first?" Naruto asked.

"First, for the duration of your training you will address me as Hitsugaya-sensei. You must get into the habit of addressing your betters, and this is good practice. Second," Kisuke dropped the bag in front of Naruto. Naruto peered inside the bag, spying clothing.

"You are going to get dressed. I'm sorry to say, Naruto, but your sense of dress not only looks horrible, but also very impractical. Jumpsuits like yours tend to restrict your movement, and even orange is not a popular color amongst samurai." Not to say orange was a bad color. The Tokugawa had orange in their clan symbol. It's just that the amount of orange that Naruto wore was... unsettling. "Then, we are going to test your physical abilities and your skill with a sword, so I know what I'm dealing with." Naruto grabbed the bag and ran to a behind the ramen stand. After a few minutes, Naruto reappeared, wearing an outfit similar to Kisuke's. "Good, follow me." Naruto quickly followed his new sensei to a nearby training grounds. When they reached the center of the field, Kisuke turned to Naruto, and pulled out a timer.

"Okay Naruto, I want you to do four laps around the area as fast as you can. Go!" At that, Naruto began to sprint as fast as he could around the training grounds When Naruto finished, He came back to Kisuke, slightly panting. Kisuke paused the timer. "A mile in eight minutes. For a kid your age that's not bad. Next, do fifty push-ups."

"Hai, sensei!" After Naruto was done, his arms were shaking and sore, and he was panting. Kisuke nodded in satisfaction. He tossed a water bottle to Naruto.

"Take a little rest gaki. We'll continue in five." Naruto panted out a thanks as he hugged the water, savoring the cool liquid as it ran down his throat. After five minutes, Kisuke tossed Naruto one of the wooden swords. "Pick up your shinai gaki, break's over." Naruto hoisted himself off the ground, shinai in hand. "Come at me with all you got."

Naruto let out a battle cry and charged with a over head swing. Kisuke easily deflected the strike and quickly poked Naruto in the chest, making the boy recoil in pain.

"Owwww! That hurt Kisuke!" Naruto was struck with another blow, this time to his left hip.

"That's Hitsugaya-sensei, remember? And don't charge in like that, it leaves you vulnerable and telegraphs your movement." This continued for a while, Naruto trying his best to land a blow against his sensei and getting struck in return. By the time the session was over, Naruto was bruised and battered, Kisuke was left completely untouched. Naruto was splayed on the ground, too sore to move.

"I thought you were testing my skills sensei, not giving me a brutal beat down dattebayo." Naruto groaned in pain.

"I was testing your skills, gaki. I was also correcting your form. Every time you came at me, you left yourself wide open. I was encouraging you to stay a bit more guarded." Kisuke approached Naruto and offered the young boy a hand. With a grunt, the boy got back on his feet, nursing his wounds while doing so.

"So what exactly are you gonna teach me, Hitsugaya-sensei?" Naruto asked tiredly. The sun was falling and he really wanted to go to bed and rest. Maybe grab some more ramen on the way home.

"I will be teaching you all aspects of the way of the samurai. You'll be learning formal etiquette, kenjutsu, kyudo(1), taijutsu, bajutsu(2), and the tenets of Bushidō. I hope you've prepared yourself Naruto, because there will be no turning back after this point. The days will get harder and harder, but know that you will become stronger for it. " Kisuke escorted Naruto back to his home, sure that the blonde would collapse half-way there. When they got to Naruto's apartment, Kisuke felt a sense of uneasiness. The building was in shambles, graffiti decorated the walls with word of "Demon" and other ill-mannered phrases. _'Does this kid really live here, all by himself?'_

Kisuke felt something squeeze his waist. He looked down to see Naruto embracing him.

"Thank you for training me, Hitsugaya-sensei. I promise, I won't make you regret this." With that, young Naruto rushed into his apartment, the door closing with resounding click. Kisuke let out a small smile before returning to the inn where he was staying.

* * *

_3 years later..._

"HAH!" Naruto let out a yell as he slammed his shinai onto Kisuke's. "I WILL hit you sensei! I will get my own blade 'ttebayo!" Naruto broke the lock and swung low. Kisuke blocked the strike and pushed him back.

"Then you'll be waiting for quite a few years Naruto! The only places you've been hitting is my shinai and my dust!" Kisuke rebutted. Naruto has grown over the years. Because of a change in diet (Kisuke had forced Naruto to eat things other than ramen.) Naruto grew rapidly in height. His head now leveled with Kisuke's chest now. The years of training had bulked up the boys muscles and stamina pool. Almost of traces of baby fat were gone from his now lean form.

Naruto continued with his assault, putting Kisuke on the defensive and driving his sensei back. However, Naruto overextended one of his strikes, allowing Kisuke to parry and disarm the boy, knocking Naruto on his back.

"Damn it." Naruto cursed. He had him on the ropes! Naruto pushed himself to his feet, wiping off the dirt from his clothing. "I was so close 'ttebayo!"

"You keep getting too confident Naruto. And keep in mind that you will be getting your blade when you graduate the academy. But no, you wanted to get it sooner then that." A few days ago, Naruto made a deal with Kisuke that if he could land one strike on his sensei, Kisuke would have to give Naruto his sword earlier then intended. So far, Kisuke has been teasing Naruto, letting him get very close to reaching his goal, and then taking that away from him at the last second. Kisuke looked to the sky, dusk was fast approaching. He turned to Naruto.

"Okay, we're done for today. Get some rest and prepare for bajutsu training tomorrow. I hope you've been taking care of Shirayuki. You know how she gets when not tended to properly." Kisuke lectured.

When they began bajutsu training, Kisuke had brought Naruto with him to the stable to pick his own steed. One in particular caught his eye. It was a beautiful young mare, barely reaching adolescence. Its fur was snow white, and was very shy. It was easily startled by many who approached it. The stable master had tried to turn Naruto's attention to another horse, telling him that no one has been able to keep the mare still long enough to mount her. Naruto insisted he try, so the mare was brought out to a track. The mare was indeed very scared, but somehow, with a gentle touch and soothing words, Naruto calmed the mare, mounted her, and rode around the track in record time. He bought the mare and named her Shirayuki.

"Yes, sensei." Naruto replied irately. With a bow, the two men parted ways for the night.

Half-way to his apartment, Naruto sensed something in the shadows. He continued on his way, but remained cautious. When he got to the building, he turned around and shouted into the shadows.

"Whoever that is, come out now! I know you're there!" Slowly, two figures dropped in front of Naruto. They were both males covered head to toe in black, and wore headbands depicting four snowflakes. One seemed to be slightly taller than Naruto with the same build, the other was a bit bulkier and a full head taller than his comrade.

"Well, it seems that we've been caught Yoshi." The smaller of the two said, his voice light but sinister.

"Let's just get this over with Takahara. Dotō-sama will want us back quickly to crush the other runaways." The larger man's voice was much deeper, almost sounding like a bass drum. Naruto grimaced. _'Shinobi? What do they want with me?'_

"Who are you? What business do you have with me?" Naruto asked calmly.

"We are shinobi are Yukigakure." Takahara responded. "I'm afraid to tell you, my boy, but your sensei is a wanted man back in our country. We've merely come to collect him and make him face his crimes." The way he said it filled Naruto with dread.

"And what are his crimes exactly?" Naruto pushed further, wanting to know more about Kisuke's past.

"He is wanted for desertion, a crime punishable by death."

"And what does this have to do with me?" Naruto placed a hand on his shinai in preparation for the inevitable fight.

"You, my dear boy, will be used as a bargaining chip to insure that that blasted samurai will come quietly. Now, if you don't want to get hurt, please come with us. Or don't. That makes it a lot more fun for us then." Takahara began snickering.

"If you want me, you'll have to beat me first." Naruto drew his shinai, taking a defensive stature.

"That's fine gaki, we'll just beat you bloody then take you with us. Yoshi, if you would? And please try to keep it quiet, we wouldn't want the ANBU to come for us, would we?" With a small grunt, Yoshi charged the young blonde. Naruto charged as well, quickly sidestepping before the two made contact, and swung his shinai into the back of the shinobi's knee. Yoshi gasped as he tumbled forward. Naruto didn't let the man recover, and swung the shinai into the back of Yoshi's head repeatedly. Takahara watched on in annoyance.

"What are you doing you blubbering buffoon? Stop playing around and knock out the fool!" Takahara yelled in anger. As Naruto swung again, his shinai was caught by Yoshi, who glared at the boy. With a clench, he broke the shinai in half and kicked Naruto in the gut, launching the boy next to Takahara. As the boy groaned in pain, Takahara laughed.

"Ufufu, you see what happens when you don't listen to us boy!" Takahara wasted no more time and quickly bound Naruto in rope and gagged him. "Come on Yoshi, clean yourself off and fetch mister Hitsugaya. Tell him to meet us outside of the East Gate in the next four hours or else we kill his apprentice." With that, Yoshi left. Takahara slung Naruto over his shoulder and shunshin'd away.

* * *

Kisuke was currently residing at the Nagaki Inn, where he was trying to go to sleep. He felt on edge, like something bad was about to happen, but he didn't know what. Kisuke had his blade at hand, just waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, he heard a small pop inside his room. He turned to face the noise and was confronted with a large man dressed in black. Kisuke glanced at the man's headband and his blood began to boil. _'Dotō!'_

"What do you want shinobi. I pose no threat to Dotō." _'Not yet at least.'_

"As a matter of fact, you do. Dotō-sama wants no loose ends, and you are the most unraveled of them. We have your apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto." Kisuke gasped at that. "You'll meet me and my partner outside the East Gate within the next four hours, lest your apprentice has his throat slit." With that, the shinobi disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Kisuke grit his teeth. _'Don't worry Naruto, I'll save you!'_

* * *

Naruto grunted as Takahara kicked him once more. The shinobi began to laugh.

"Ufufu, look how weak you are. Don't you see how wasteful it is to become a samurai? They are but remnants of the old world! The age of the samurai is over, and the only place they have in our world now is in the history books!" Takahara began to laugh maniacally as he abused Naruto again and again. He heard a pop come from behind and turned to face his comrade.

"Took you long enough. Is the samurai coming?" Yoshi nodded in confirmation. Takahara grinned wickedly. "Good, we'll execute him right here in front of his apprentice. Oh the sweet joys of misery, ufufu!"

"Yes, I'll especially love the look of despair on Dotō's face as I gut him for his deeds." A new voice cut through the air. Both shinobi and Naruto turned to the voice, and saw an armor-clad figure on a large black stallion. The man's entire body as covered in white segmented plate, and what parts the plates didn't cover was protected by black mesh and clothe. The head was protected by the kabuto, the face from the nose down covered by a respirator attached to the helmet, leaving only the eyes exposed. The respirator was fashioned into the shape of a hanyou mouth.(3) Naruto scrutinized the figure. _'Is that... Kisuke?' _

"Well look who came here in a hurry!" Takahara mocked. "Are you so eager to face your death?"

"No," Kisuke responded, his voice distorted by the respirator. "But you seem eager to face yours. Untie my apprentice. Now." He threatened. Kisuke's hand was on his katana, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

"Or what, samurai?" Takahara taunted. "Oh, I do believe that time is of the essence. Yoshi, please kill this relic while I watch over our guest."

Yoshi grunted before flashing through hand signs. "**Suiton: Mizurappa**! (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)"A large stream of pressurized water gushed from Yoshi's mouth, speeding towards Kisuke's direction. Kisuke urged his horse toward the jet of water, the large animal obeying without hesitation, and veered right of the stream, riding alongside it. Yoshi cut the water off, sneering at the oncoming samurai. He prepared another jutsu.

"Fine, take this! **Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu**! (Water Release: Water Bullet Technique)" Yoshi fired off multiple balls of water, of which Kisuke dodged them all. As he neared the shinobi, Kisuke stood on his horse, his hands firmly grasped on the sheath and hilt of his blade. Yoshi let out a roar of frustration.

"Stay still and die! **Sui**-" Kisuke didn't let him finish. When he was but a few feet from the shinobi, Kisuke lept from his horse and drew his blade mid-air. With the drawing of the sword, Yoshi screamed in agony as his right arm fell to the ground. Yoshi grabbed his stump of an arm and fell to the ground, screaming and trying to stop the blood spouting profusely from the wound. Kisuke landed gracefully to the right of the fallen shinobi. He glared down on the whimpering form of the Yuki ninja, and stabbed his blade through Yoshi's head. The screaming stopped immediately, and blood leaked from the wound as Kisuke withdrew his blade. His sword now free, he slowly approached the terrified form of Takahara.

The craven shinobi stared in disbelief at the swift end of his comrade. He was terrified of Kisuke now, and quickly grabbed Naruto and held a kunai to the boy's throat.

"St-Stay back! I-I'll slit his throat if you c-come any c-closer!" The man's stuttering grew worse the closer Kisuke got. "S-ST-STOP!" Kisuke was right in front of the man now. Takahara had dropped Naruto, his whole body beginning to grow weak. But then, Kisuke just walked past him, his sword arm not even raised, just held to the side. It was after three steps behind Takahara did Kisuke pause. Then, he flicked off whatever blood remained on his blade and slowly began to sheath it. Just before the blade clicked back into place, Kisuke spoke.

"**Hanauta Sanchō: Yahazu Giri**. (Three-Verse Humming: Arrow Notch Slash)" With the click of the blade, Takahara's head fell off, and a fountain of blood spurted from his neck. Naruto, having still been gagged throughout the entire scenario, squirmed away from the body and towards Kisuke. Kisuke quickly rushed to Naruto and cut Naruto free of his bindings. "Naruto, are you all right?" Naruto removed his gag.

"THAT WAS AWESOME DATTEBAYO!" He screamed to the heavens. "I haven't even seen your armor, and its sooooo cool! And that technique you used on Takahara, th-the one where you just walked past him and his head just fell off! Are you gonna teach me that!? Oh, and when you jumped off Khan, and just cut that guy's arm off as you were drawing Ryū no Ishi(4)! And-and-"

"Woah there gaki, calm down. Did they hurt you?" Naruto snapped out of his fanboy stupor, and blushed in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah, they roughed me up a bit, but its only bruising. Besides that, I'm fine." Naruto embraced Kisuke. "Thank you for saving me Hitsugaya-sensei." Kisuke returned the embrace. Both teach and student mounted Khan and rode the stallion home. Kisuke glanced back at the blonde.

"You sure you're all right Naruto?" He did just witness the bloody end of two people. Naruto shook his head.

"I've seen worst, Hitsugaya-sensei." Naruto responded in a tired voice. Naruto hugged Kisuke even tighter, and rested his head on his back.

* * *

Naruto passed out along the way, and was slumped against Kisuke's back. When they reached Naruto's apartment, Kisuke dismounted Khan and slung Naruto over his shoulder. He took Naruto into his room and tucked him in. Kisuke stared at Naruto's sleeping form for a moment, then left, making sure the room was secured before he did so. Just as he was about to mount the warhorse, he spoke aloud.

"I know you were there shinobi. I know that Naruto was your charge, and you were supposed to protect him. Know that you have no honor for abandoning him, and that your shame shall curse you for generations to come." With that, Kisuke rode off, leaving a squad of shocked and angry Anbu in his wake.

* * *

_Next time on Return to Prominence_

"_So Naruto, tomorrow is your first day at the academy. Are you prepared?" Kisuke questioned the blonde. Over the years, he and Naruto have become close, as if Naruto was the son the he never had. He would gladly lay down his own life for the boy._

_Naruto grinned confidently at his surrogate father._

"_Hai, Tou-san," Naruto rested his hand on the hilt of his blade. He will restore his clan, and head its rebirth. He would return the samurai to prominence, even if he had to use his bare hands to do so. He was Uzumaki Naruto, apprentice of Hitsugaya Kisuke, the last samurai of Konohagakure. On his honor, on his Bushidō, Naruto would make his goals reality or he would die trying. _

"_I am ready."_

* * *

A/N: So how was it? Give me some feedback and I'll improve upon my work. And if you are reading my other works, know that I have fully committed to this one and that they will be put on haitus until this one is complete. I may or may not be releasing more stories as well, depending on what's floating in my head. But they will only be secondary to _Return to Prominence._

1\. Kyudo is the way of the bow, or archery

2\. Bajutsu is horsemanship, entailing horse riding and combat

3\. I wanted to get more in depth with the description, but I knew that must of the terms would go over most of your heads. So here is a link (Remember to take out the spaces and parenthesis!) to both a diagram and picture of what Kisuke's armor is like

fc06 . deviantart (.net) /fs70/i/2012/105/9/8/samurai_armor_yoroi_by_magnus_stark - d4waiv2 . jpg

4\. "Ryū no Ishi" "Will of the Dragon"

So, again, if you enjoyed it, please leave a review. It really does encourage me to work harder on my story if other people like it. And if you have any criticisms, please don't be afraid to tell me. Criticism is appreciated.


	2. Birth of the Ninja Samurai

"Where are we going sensei?" Naruto asked as he and Kisuke walked through the shinobi district. It was his eleventh birthday, and Kisuke said that he had a surprise in mind for his student.

"You'll see Naruto." Kisuke replied teasingly. After half an hour of walking, the student and teacher arrived arrived at a weapon's shop. Naruto had a giddy feeling, and grinned widely as he and hsi sensei entered the shop. Naruto stood astonished as he observed the store's interior. It was like a small arsenal! He could see display upon display of weapons and scrolls. The armaments ranged from ornamental tanto to the exotic kusarigama. It was an amazing sight, and Naruto had stars in his eyes. Kisuke shook his head at his student, a smirk on his face, and approached a bulky looking man in his forties. The man was tall, about Kisuke's height, but was rippling with muscle mass. He had brown shoulder length hair and had a small stubble of a beard, as if it had just started to grow back in. The man was wearing clothing similar to a blacksmith's.

"Ohayō Higurashi-san. I am here to pick up my order." Kisuke addressed the man. The large man turned to Kisuke, a large smile on his face.

"Of course Hitsugaya-san, please follow me." The large man escorted Kisuke into the back, leaving Naruto to inspect the store's wares. He picked up a few shuriken and examined them.

"Oh wow! So this is what ninja weaponry looks like!" Naruto placed the throwing stars down and continued to the scrolls. He picked one up and read the label.

"Storage scroll?" Naruto curiously opened the scroll and saw some sort of weird calligraphy inside. "What does this do?"

"Need some help?" The voice asked from behind Naruto. Naruto jumped in fright and dropped the scroll in his hands, turning around to meet the voice. It was a girl with brown hair tied into twin Chinese-styled buns on her head, with a short fringe falling just above her brown eyes. She wore a pink sleeveless qipao-style blouse with red sleeve trimmings and yellow fastening buttons as well as dark green pants, with a pouch adjusted to her thigh, and blue ninja looked slightly older than him and was the same height. The girl giggled at his reaction.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." The girl said in a friendly manner. Naruto quickly regained his composure and reached down to pick up the scroll.

"Ah, it's fine." Naruto replied. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, but you can just call me Naruto." Naruto bowed to the girl. She returned it.

"Nice to meet you Naruto-san. I'm Higurashi Tenten." Tenten glanced at the scroll Naruto held in his hand. "So did you need any assistance?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head shyly.

"Ah, yes. Could you explain to me what a storage scroll is?" Naruto asked. Tenten nodded and took the scroll from him.

"A storage scroll is like a compact suitcase. You can seal just about anything into a storage scroll, depending on the seal structure, you just have to channel a bit of chakra into the seal and placed the item you want to store on the seal. Here, let me show you." Tenten reached into her pouch and grabbed a kunai. A faint blue glow surrounded her hand as she touched the seal, then placed the kunai on it. The kunai vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto stared in slight amazement.

"That's really cool! Thank you for showing me Higurashi-san." Naruto praised.

"Of course Naruto-san! And please, call me Tenten."Tenten replied graciously.

"Naruto, time to go." Kisuke was already at the door of the shop, smirking at his student, "You can talk to your girlfriend later." Naruto grew flustered.

"S-She isn't my girlfriend, 'ttebayo!" Naruto yelled indignantly. Tenten blushed a bit, but giggled in amusement. "Ugh, stupid sensei. Catch you later, Tenten-san." Naruto rushed over to his sensei, and the two samurai left the building. The two went back to Naruto's apartment, where a small cake was awaiting them, along with Hiruzen, Inu, and Neko.

"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun!" Everyone shouted in unison. Naruto grinned, his famous smile shining brightly as he rushed over to them. He gave them all a hug.

"You guys came!" Naruto yelled in happiness.

"Of course we did. Hokage-sama made sure to make sometime for you today, and he gave us leave of our duties just so we could see you, otouto." Inu said. They hadn't been able to do this prior to this year due to some important meetings and other constraints, but there was nothing utterly important this year.

"Oh, you're growing up so fast, my little Naru-kun!" Neko hugged him tightly. Naruto blushed in embarrassment.

"Onee-chan!" Naruto cried in protest. Everyone chuckled at Naruto's predicament. Naruto approached the cake, ready to blow out the candle.

"Make a wish, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen whispered into the young boy's ear. Naruto thought for a moment, a contemplative look on his face.

"I wish that I knew everything about the Uzumaki clan." With a quick, focused exhale, Naruto blew out the candle, water welling in his eyes and a grin on his face. Everyone in the room cheered. Hiruzen quickly led Naruto to a different area of the room, where a few boxes awaited him.

"It's time for your gifts, Naruto." He handed Naruto one of the wrapped boxes. "This is from me Naruto-kun." Naruto eagerly unwrapped the box, quickly revealing its contents.

"It's... clothing?" Naruto said skeptically. Not to say he didn't appreciate the gift, but it wasn't exactly the type of thing you get someone for their birthday.

"Try it on Naruto-kun, you might be surprised. Naruto withdrew to his room to dress into the attire. After a few minutes, Naruto reappeared, dressed in an orange haori with a black trim that reached his ankles, along with orange pants that were tied to the shin down with white bandages. A black obi secured his pants to his waist and kept the haori closed. Naruto was smiling brightly, and ran to the Hokage.

"Aw, thanks Jiji, you're the best! I missed orange so much." Naruto embraced Hiruzen. Kisuke let out a quiet groan, but said nothing. It's not that Naruto looked bad, quite the opposite really, but orange would get him killed one day. Naruto opened the remaining boxes. From Inu, he got a book on shinobi conduct, giving miscellaneous tips about chakra control, stealth, traps, and other little factoids that weren't exactly well known. Then from Neko he received a scroll holster along with several storage scrolls, which he promptly attached to his obi. With all the boxes opened, he turned to Kisuke, who was whistling nonchalantly.

"And what did you get me, Hitsugaya-sensei?" Kisuke took out a scroll of his own, laid it the ground in front of Naruto, and opened it. With a small amount of chakra, a wakizashi popped into existence. Naruto beamed and slowly went to grab the weapon, his hands shaking in excitement. The sheathe was a dark red, the kanji for "Cunning" and "Luck" carved into it. The handle was black, the tsuba and pommel gold. Naruto cautiously unsheathed the blade, revealing black, chakra-conductive metal. The temper line was reversed, and had a maroon color to it. It was heavier than most wakizashi, feeling almost as heavy as a katana. Naruto slowly looked up at the proudly smiling visage of Kisuke.

"I-I... I thought..." Naruto was too dumbstruck to say anything. He hadn't won the bet he made yet, so why was Kisuke giving him a sword now? Kisuke spoke up, waking Naruto from his thoughts.

"I had originally thought to give you this after your graduation. However, the attack a few months ago suggested that you need an actual weapon to defend yourself with. And consider it an apology, for getting hurt because of my past." All the occupants knew of the attack that Kisuke and mentioned. The day after it happened, Kisuke reported it to the Hokage, and told of the Anbu that had let Naruto get captured inn the first place. The Hokage was not happy, no, he was furious. He had the names of those on watch that night and sent Inu and Neko to "discipline" them. Let's just say that there are a few open spots in Anbu that need to be filled.

Naruto felt tears trail down his face. They were tears of joy, of happiness, knowing that Kisuke had trusted him enough with a real blade. Naruto suddenly embraced his teacher, and Kisuke returning it with gently.

"Arigatō , Hitsugaya-sensei, arigatō! I will cherish this blade for as long as I live, and I shall wield it honorably!" Naruto sobbed. He pulled back from the embrace, and looked up at Kisuke."May I call you Tou-san, Hitsugaya-sensei?" Naruto asked, his voice quivering. Naruto loved this man like the father he had never known, and held him in that regard.

Kisuke was shocked to say the least. Naruto had asked him if he could call him father. Kisuke stared lovingly into the eyes of Naruto. Yes... yes he would become this boy's father. He had come to care for this boy as a son, and he would be honored to become Naruto's father.

"...Yes..."Kisuke said quietly."...yes you can, son." Everyone around them said nothing, so as to not disturb the heartfelt moment between student and teacher.

'_This really is the best birthday ever, dattebayo'_

* * *

After the whole ordeal, Naruto had named his sword Kitsune no Kōkatsu (1) and Hiruzen told Naruto everything he knew about the Uzumaki clan. Naruto was amazed to hear of his clan, of their accomplishments and their former glory. He was especially astonished by their supposed mastery of fūinjutsu, and had promised that he would restore the Uzumaki clan.

Kisuke and Naruto trained as usual, but since Naruto has an actual sword, Kisuke started teaching Naruto the art of Iaido, the quick draw and resheathe. It was from this branch of kenjutsu did the samurai thrive and where most of Kisuke's techniques can from. Naruto had spent most of the year practicing all his skills, but refining his skill with the blade the most. In that one year, Kisuke had taught Naruto all that he knew, and Naruto soaked it all up like a sponge.

Naruto had grown much more in this past year. He his head now stood at Kisuke's neck and had grown even more muscle mass. His body was lithe but firm, the perfect balance of speed and strength. Any traces of fat had gone from the boy, and had provided him with sharp, angular facial features, strangely baring close resemblance to the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. His hair grew longer, and he pulled it back into a small, spiky ponytail, with small bangs framing his face. He still wore the attire given to him by the Hokage, and had similar outfits in storage.

Naruto and Kisuke were at the stables, grooming their horses after a day of training. It was a few days after Naruto's twelfth birthday, and his education at the academy began tomorrow.

"So Naruto, tomorrow is your first day at the academy. Are you prepared?" Kisuke questioned the blonde.

Naruto grinned confidently at his surrogate father.

"Hai, Tou-san," Naruto rested his hand on the hilt of his blade. He will restore his clan and their ancestral home and head its rebirth to glory. He would return the samurai to prominence, even if he had to use his bare hands to do so. He was Uzumaki Naruto, apprentice of Hitsugaya Kisuke, the last samurai of Konohagakure. On his honor, on his Bushidō, Naruto would make his goals reality or he would die trying.

"I am ready."

* * *

Naruto was somewhat awed as he entered the academy courtyard. There were large targets and wooden dummies in sections of the area. There was even an obstacle course, filled with all sorts of terrain simulations and such. Naruto continued on his way and entered the academic branch of the academy. Naruto slowly walked through the halls of the facility, before coming to a stop outside his homeroom. Naruto took a deep breathe before entering the room. Inside were a few students and two adults males. They both looked to be men in their twenties One was moderately tanned, with brown hair tied back into a ponytail, black eyes, and a scar across his nose. The other had shoulder length white hair and green eyes. They were dressed in the standard chūnin uniform. The tanned man saw Naruto and approached him.

"Ah, you must be Uzumaki Naruto. My name is Umino Iruka and I will be your instructor for the year." Iruka bowed in respect. Naruto bowed as well.

"It is an honor to meet you, Umino-sensei." Naruto said respectfully. The other came over as well.

"Ah, Naruto, this is my assistant, Mizuki. He will be helping keep order within the class." Naruto scrutinized the white haired man. Despite showing a pleasant disposition, the look in his eyes stared seemed to exude great hatred. Naruto bowed to the man, but said nothing.

He glanced around one more. There were nine students here, including him, all of them sitting at desks divided into three columns. As the columns got further back, the elevation of the desks rose as well. It seemed like three people could fit per desk. "Is this the whole class, sensei?" Iruka shook his head.

"Only the early risers, Uzumaki-san. You may sit anywhere you like. Maybe this could be used as an opportunity to get to know some of your classmates." With that, Iruka returned to his desk to do whatever paperwork that still needed to be done and Mizuki followed. Naruto observed the students.

There was a black haired boy staring out the window of the classroom, seeming disinterested in the world around him. There were two boys in the far back, conversing with each other. One was a skinny black haired boy with his hair tied into an upright spiky ponytail, the other a, um, _stout _boy with brown hair. To the back corner of the room was a boy in a large coat, the collar hiding his face, who was also wearing sunglasses. Closer to the front was a boy with feral looking features along with a puppy and a girl with pale eyes, almost like she was blind. Then at the very front were two girls, one a platinum blond and the other a pinkette. They were both staring at him, whispering to each other. Naruto, deciding to introduce himself to the girls, approached them, his geta clacking with each step. He saw out of the corner of his eye that everyone else was observing him..

"...ush, he's coming!" Naruto heard the blonde whisper. The two girls stood at attention when he stopped in front of them. Naruto bowed.

"Hello, I am Uzumaki Naruto. I am to be your classmate for the year." Naruto said, unaware of how attractive his voice was to the girls. Both the girls blushed, their thoughts resonating.

'_Oh my Kami, what a hottie!' _

The pink haired girl recovered first, though her face was still red.

"I-I'm Haruno Sakura, and this is Yamanaka Ino." Ino dumbly nodded along with her friend, still shocked by the sheer beauty of Naruto. Naruto flashed them his infamous smile, causing Sakura to freeze once again, and for Ino's face to turn completely crimson. Naruto noticed Ino's predicament, and grew worried. He quickly but gently grabbed her hand, and spoke in a soft tone.

"Yamanaka-san, are you all right? Please, say something!" Naruto pleaded. Ino focused on their hands though.

'_His hands are rough, but so pleasant to touch. What-What's happening to me?' _Ino's inner monologue had kept her from responding, causing both Naruto and Sakura to grow more worried.

"Ino, are you okay? Hey, snap out of it!" Sakura shook her friend's shoulder, hoping to wake her from her stupor. It worked, but not in the way most thought.

"KYAAAAAA!"Ino's shriek startled everyone in the room. Naruto got the full brunt of the scream, and stumbled back in fright, letting go of Ino's hand in the process. With the warmth of their contact gone, Ino quickly reverted to her normal self, the red now fading from her face.

"Ino, are you all right?" Iruka asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Ino reassured them. She then glanced at Naruto, still on the floor from his spill. "S-Sorry about that Naruto-kun." Naruto rubbed his back, but still smiled reassuringly at her.

"I-It's fine, Yamanaka-san. I'm sorry I startled you." Some of the other boys began snickering, the boy with the dog in particular. Naruto picked himself up and went to the back of the class, so as to put as much distance between himself and Ino, so he doesn't bother her again. _'First day at school and I'm already causing trouble for people. Tou-san was right, I am a natural born troublemaker.' _

Naruto took a seat next to the boy in sunglasses, and tried to make small talk.

"So, a, very bright today, isn't it?" Naruto asked in a friendly manner.

"...I suppose." The boy responded. He hadn't even turned to face Naruto.

"Uh, I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"...Aburame Shino." Naruto began to grow nervous.

'_This guy sure doesn't talk much.' _Naruto thought.

"It's good to meet you, Aburame-san." Naruto paused for a moment, trying to find something to say. "... So, a, what do you like to do Aburame-san? I myself like to read."

"... I like to collect insects." Shino replied, his monotonous tone taking a small spark of enthusiasm. Having finally found some ground to set foot on, Naruto made his move.

"Ah, you collect insects, huh? What is your favorite?" Naruto could have sword that a small twinkle came from his glasses at that.

"I have no favorite. All insects are unique in their own ways, and I appreciate all that they offer. From the hulking rhinoceros beetle to the lithe wasp, all have a trait that makes them special in my eyes." Shino finally turned to Naruto. "What about you, Uzumaki-san? What insect do you enjoy?" Naruto thought for a moment.

"... I would have to the the praying mantis." Naruto firmly responded.

"And why is that, Uzumaki-san?" Shino inquired.

"It is because the mantis hunts, not just other insects, but larger prey than itself. It has the courage to attack a bird twice its size, and the skill to come out victorious. Not only that, but the males know the meaning of sacrifice and love. Despite what many think, the males offer themselves as food to the females to ensure her survival and those of their offspring after the mating. They would give their life to ensure the well-being of their mate, and that is why I respect them so much." Naruto finished his explanation, and Shino nodded approvingly.

"Very good Uzumaki-san. Not many know of the male mantis's sacrifice and just assume that the female eats them naturally." Shino paused for a moment. "If you wish, I could take you to observe some insects with me sometime." He offered. Shino was thoroughly curious of this Uzumaki Naruto, and was hoping to see how a friendship between them would work out.

"That would be most pleasant, Aburame-san. And please, call me Naruto." Naruto offered a hand in friendship. Shino stared at it for a few seconds before grasping it with his own.

"... You may call me Shino, if you wish Naruto-san."

"Thank you, Shino-san. I hope to speak more with you later." With that, Naruto rose from his seat, and left the Aburame heir to his thoughts. Naruto looked about the class once more. A lot more students had come in, a total of twenty seven, including him. Iruka suddenly called everyone to take their seats. Naruto went back to the front of the class and prepared himself for his introduction. Iruka took a few minutes performing roll call, allowing Naruto to burn his classmates' names into his memory, before introducing his newest student.

"All right class, it's good to see you back once again. We have ourselves a new student here, co please treat him as if he's been here all along. Naruto, if you would please?"

"Hai, Iruka-sensei. Ohayō classmates, I am Uzumaki Naruto, samurai apprentice of Hitsugaya Kisuke." Naruto finished with a bow. Many began whispering amongst themselves, astonished that a samurai in-training was in their class. "If any of you have any questions, please feel free to ask." At that, Naruto was bombarded with questions about his position as a samurai. Naruto tried to answer what questions he could, but was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of them. Iruka felt that he needed to intervene, less the entire day be solely about Naruto.

"Class, please calm down." Iruka asked calmly. The immense racket was growing louder by the second. "Class! Quiet down!" Iruka asked more forcefully. He wasn't even acknowledged. A large tic mark grew on his forehead, and his head grew three sizes larger.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" All grew silent at Iruka's demand. Iruka's head shrunk back down to normal, and he gave off an intimidating smile. "I'm sure that we can all question Naruto _after _the school day is over. Now, follow me out to the courtyard. We will be testing all of your skills today to see what we have to improve on." With that, the entire class followed their instructor outside.

* * *

"Okay class, first stop is the range. It's simple, really. All you have to do is stand at a marker and try to hit this bulls-eye. The further you are from the target and the closer you get to the center, the more points you receive. But since its the start of the year, everyone shall be standing at the twenty feet marker." Iruka saw Naruto raise his hand. "Yes Naruto?"

"Are you sure the distance is large enough, Iruka sensei?" Naruto had a confused expression on his face.

"What do you mean Naruto?"

"I mean anyone could hit the target from twenty feet." Now Iruka grew confused. Twenty feet in distance was considered above average for all academy students. He doubted that some of his students would even be able to reach the target, let alone get a bulls-eye.

"Naruto, you wouldn't happen to have had formal training before, have you?"

"Just what my master taught me, Iruka-sensei." The black haired boy from before, Uchiha Sasuke, scoffed at Naruto.

"He's referring to kunai, not your sword dobe." Sasuke said arrogantly. "Let me show how easy it it for an Uchiha elite to hit that mark." Sasuke walked to the twenty feet marker, kunai in hand. With a quick flick of his wrist, Sasuke let the knife fly, the kunai impacting the center of the target with a resounding 'thunk'. Sasuke was applauded as he went to retrieve his kunai. Tucking the kunai away, he returned to his spot in the crowd, smirking at Naruto. Said blond was looking down the range with a focused look on his face.

"Yes, I see Uchiha-san. Now let me take a shot at it." Naruto grabbed one of the scrolls off his obi, and unsealed its contents. A yumi and a quiver of twenty arrows appeared before him. The yumi was slightly curved, resembling that of a composite bow but not quite as rounded. Naruto swung the over his shoulder and picked up his bow, then proceeded back to the fifty-five feet marker. Many were astonished by Naruto's actions. He was going to shoot from all the way back there? Naruto calmly notched an arrow, pulled it back, and let it loose. The arrow connected dead center with the target, piercing through it far enough that the arrow head could be clearly seen.

All of his classmates were in awe of his shot. Not only had he managed to hit bulls-eye at fifty-five feet, by his arrow passed all the way through the target, which was five inches thick! Iruka himself was rather amazed by the display of archery. Naruto swiftly retrieved his arrow and sealed his items away once more. The rest of the students went their turns, some doing reasonably well, others utterly failing. Next, the group proceeded to a large chalk ring on the ground.

"Now we will be testing your taijutsu skills. Everyone here should have been practicing the academy style katas over the break, so we shall be putting you against each other." Iruka glanced around. Some of the students looked nervous, others exuded confidence. "So who would like to go first?"

"I challenge Uzumaki Naruto!" Sasuke proudly stepped into the ring, eyes staring intently at Naruto. Iruka also turned to Naruto.

"Do you accept Sasuke's challenge, Naruto?" Iruka asked the blond.

"Hai sensei, I accept." Naruto, too, stepped into the ring. Sasuke scoffed at his opponent.

"This is a taijutsu match dobe. That means lose the sword."

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san, but my blade will never leave my side."

"Figures, you samurai are nothing without your pathetic swords." Naruto's eyes hardened at the Uchiha's insult.

"I do not need my blade to defeat one with such arrogance!" Both combatants took their respective taijutsu stances. Sasuke fell into the Uchiha-style stance. Naruto rose his arms up, his hands curled up and his pointer fingers protruded outward, like hooks, and his feet were firmly balanced on the ground. Shino stared at Naruto in surprise.

'_Mantis-style...'_

Iruka stood outside the ring and in between the two students. Iruka raised his right hand high, waiting for a few moments, before bringing it down. "Hajime!"

Sasuke was the first to attack, aiming for a quick jab at Naruto's shoulder. Naruto deflected Sasuke's fist downward, then brought that same hand up quickly, slamming his knuckles into Sasuke's exposed chin. Sasuke reeled from the blow, but quickly regained his composure. Fast as lighting, Naruto thrusted his right hand at Sasuke, who had blocked the blow, before following through with an elbow strike to his gut. Sasuke doubled over in pain, but Naruto used this opportunity to slam his knee into Sasuke's jaw. The force of the impact launched Sasuke off his feet and onto his back. Naruto stood over Sasuke's prone form, his eyes still staring ruefully at the Uchiha.

"Give up?" Sasuke suddenly spun, kicking Naruto's feet from beneath him while also rising up.

"I don't think so." Sasuke replied cockily. Naruto jumped to his feet, and the two resumed their stances for round two. The two charged each other, exchanging a flurry of blows as they collided. Sasuke landed a punch to Naruto's side, but Naruto delivered a series of swift kicks to Sasuke's shins. The Uchiha grunted in pain, but delivered a flurry of quick jabs at Naruto. A few of the blows landed, but did little damage. Naruto deftly blocked a hook from Sasuke and returned with a jab to the neck. Sasuke backed off, trying to stop the gagging the blow caused, but Naruto didn't let him rest. Naruto expertly landed several strikes to Sasuke's chest before sweeping him of his feet. As he was falling Naruto slammed his knee in to Sasuke's back, causing the boy to yell out in agony. The knee lifted Sasuke into the air once more, allowing Naruto to place a sharp elbow into Sasuke's gut once again. The impact launched Sasuke out of the ring, kicking up a cloud of dust upon landing. Naruto let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. With a small bow, Naruto exited the ring and walked over to Sasuke, the boy still groaning in pain from the thrashing Naruto gave him.

"That was a good fight Uchiha-san." Naruto said as he knelt down to the prone form of the Uchiha. Naruto offered a hand to the boy. Sasuke stared at it in confusion. "We don't have to be enemies, Uchiha-san." Naruto whispered. After a few moments, Sasuke accepted the hand, and was hoisted up. The two boys walked back into the crowd, not acknowledging the bewildered stares of their classmates. They just couldn't believe it. Up until now, Sasuke was undefeated in the ring, and now this new kid comes out of nowhere and thoroughly put Sasuke's ass through the ringer. Even Iruka was amazed by the ease of which Naruto defeated Sasuke. The others student's soon had their turns, again some doing reasonably well while others failed completely. It was lunch time now, and Iruka told them that they could either eat out here in the courtyard or inside the classroom. About half went inside, but Naruto stayed out in the sun. He picked a spot beneath a tree and sat in its shade. He was joined by Shino and Ino.

"... That was rather impressive, Naruto-san." Shino complimented. He had never thought that he would see someone use the mantis-style form. This Naruto was definitely becoming more interesting by the minute.

"Y-yeah. You were awesome! I never would have thought that Sasuke would be beaten so easily!" Ino praised, a light blush gracing her face. Oh Kami, Naruto was getting more attractive by the second. At this rate, Ino will definitely fall for him.

"Arigatō Shino-san, Ino-san." Naruto took out another one of his scrolls and unsealed a bento with a pair of chopsticks. Likewise, both Shino and Ino pulled out their own bentos. "Itadakimasu!" With that, the trio began to dig in.

"Oi, I would like to speak with you, Naruto-san." A voice said from above Naruto. Naruto looked up to see the same pineapple haired boy from this morning, Nara Shikamaru.

"Oh, hello Nara-san. What did you want to talk about?" Naruto asked, his bento completely finished. Shikamaru gestured for him to follow, so Naruto sealed away the empty bento box and followed. They traveled towards the opposite end of the yard, where a small board awaited them under a tree. Shikamaru went to the other side of the board and sat down, Naruto doing the same opposite of him.

"I challenge you to a game of shogi, Naruto." Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Why me of all people, Nara-san?"

"Because you've been making waves at the academy the whole day. Not only did you manage to get Ino so flustered that she looked like Hinata, you've managed to get Shino to speak more than five words and beat Sasuke in a taijutsu match." Shikamaru leaned forward. "I want to see if you can match me in a shogi match, for no one but my father has beaten me before. If there's a first time for anything, then it's going to happen to today." Shikamaru leaned back into a more relaxed position, slump against the tree. "I assume you know how to play, samurai?"

"Hai, I do Nara-san, and I'm honored that you see me as a worthy adversary." With that, the two played for the duration of lunch, embroidered in a battle of the minds. Shino and Ino had come over to see what the two were up to, by remained completely silent during their match at Ino's behest. In that half hour, Shikamaru and Naruto exchanged pieces almost every other move. But it was not to last, as Iruka called the class in, Shikamaru let out a sigh as he called the match.

"Checkmate." Shikamaru actually felt good about winning. No one has ever given him that great of a match before. Naruto had kept the game a fast pace, and barely gave the Nara anytime to plan out his moves. Naruto let out a sigh as he got up.

""That was a good match, Nara-san. Let's play again sometime." Before Naruto could walk away, Shikamaru called to him.

"It's Shikamaru, Naruto. And thank you for that match. It's been so long since someone kept me on my toes like that." With his shogi set packed away, Shikamaru joined Naruto's group of friends as they reentered the building.

* * *

Nothing much happened after that, just some basic academia that outlined what they will be learning. The school day ended, and everyone rushed out the door, waiting for tomorrow to come. Naruto and his group stood at the courtyard, chatting a bit before heading home.

"I didn't know you two knew each other!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. Ino giggled.

"That's right. Since our dads are close friends, Shikamaru and I always used to hangout out when we were younger."

"As troublesome as it was, I could still remember you yelling at me and Chōji to do whatever you wanted." Shikamaru drawled out. Ino punched him in the shoulder.

'_Don't make me look bad in front of Naruto, baka!'_ Ino screamed in her mind. Naruto laughed a bit.

"Aww, Ino-san is already such a strong woman!" Naruto teased. Ino grew flustered and shied away, determined not to let Naruto see her blush.

"As interesting as today was, I must get back to the compound. The rare species come out during this time of day." Shino said.

"Yeah, if I go home any later, my mother will kill me. Troublesome."

"Y-Yeah, my dad would be extremely worried if I don't leave now."

"All right the. It was good meeting you guys. I'll see you all tomorrow." With that, the four friends departed, and moved onwards to a promising future.

* * *

_1 year later..._

The entire school year was rather fun for Naruto. His small group of friends got to know each other rather well. Shikamaru spoke to them with more enthusiasm, Shino opened up and freely conversed with them, and Ino was no longer entomophobic. Some other interesting things happened as well. Sasuke seemed to be more hospitable, his ego beaten down. Ino had stopped becoming so flustered around Naruto, but still grew embarrassed every time he complimented her. Naruto had found a golden Hercules beetle, which he had given to Shino as a birthday present. Surprisingly, the beetle mated with several of Shino's kikaichū, creating a stronger, larger, and longer-living variant of kikaichū beetles. Shino's entire clan was surprised at the development, and granted Naruto a single favor for his deed.

But today was the final examination, where all the skills drilled into the minds of the academy students were put to the test. The class had just taken their written test, Naruto and his group confident in their passing. Now was time to perform the required three jutsu. Every student was called up one by one, and soon was approaching Naruto's turn. The samurai in-training was confident. The only one he had trouble with was the bunshin, but as long as he wasn't limited to one, he was fine. The door opened, Ino just stepped out, a Konoha hitai-ate tied around her waist. She gave Naruto a thumbs up, making him smile. She passed.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka's voice called from the room. Naruto hastily got up from his seat and proceeded to the testing room. As he passed by Ino, she whispered in his ear.

"You got this Naruto-kun." Naruto flashed her a smile and entered the room. Mizuki and Iruka were behind a desk, and there was a table with an assortment of headbands next to them. Naruto closed the door behind him and approached the instructors.

"All right Naruto, we are going to need to see you perform the bunshin no jutsu, kawarimi no jutsu, and the henge no jutsu." Iruka explained. Naruto nodded.

"**Kawarimi no Jutsu**." Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke, and in his place was Mizuki. Iruka turned to his right to see Naruto sitting beside him, smiling. With another puff, Naruto and Mizuki returned to their original places, Mizuki in slight disarray from being forcefully moved. Naruto formed a hand sign.

"**Henge no Jutsu**." Another puff of smoke, gone was Naruto and in his place was another Iruka. The original Iruka approached the fake and examined it closely. After a moment, Iruka nodded approving, and Naruto dispelled the transformation. Okay, now was the hard part.

"**Bunshin no Jutsu**." Suddenly, Naruto's visage suddenly blurred, and multiple copies of him appeared, fifteen in total. All the clones were perfect copies of Naruto, down to the last wrinkle in his clothes. Iruka and Mizuki applauded, though Mizuki was a bit hesitant to do so.

"Good job Naruto, you pass. Take your pick of the hitai-ate." Iruka gestured to the table. Naruto grabbed one attached to a long black cloth. Quickly, Naruto tied it to his head, his bangs framing the metal plate, and the cloth ended at his waist. Naruto bowed to his instructors once more, but Naruto caught the small sneer on Mizuki's face. Something wasn't right about the teacher, and Naruto swore to find out what it was. Naruto exited the room and another student was called. Ino rushed to him, Shino and Shikamaru following calmly walking behind. The two blonds embraced.

"I knew you could do it Naruto-kun!" Ino praised as she tightened her hold of him.

"Thank you for your confidence, Ino-chan."

"Ugh, not here you two." Shikamaru groaned. He didn't need to see any of this!

"I agree with Shikamaru-san, such actions should not be performed in public." Shino explained. Ino let go of Naruto, albeit hesitantly. The group chatted as they waited for the the examination to end. After everyone finished the exam, Iruka dismissed the graduates, telling them to come to tomorrow to receive team placement. Instead of joining his friends in a celebratory dinner, much to their confusion, Naruto instead followed the suspicious white haired chūnin, determined to find out he man's secret.

* * *

All was according to plan. Mizuki had secretly slipped into the Hokage's mansion during a change in shifts and was currently looking at his objective, the legendary Scroll of Seals. Orochimaru had promised him great power if he could retrieve it for him. Mizuki frowned. If only that stupid demon brat had failed, he could have probably convinced him to steal the scroll for him. Alas, he was here now and now ogling the massive scroll. He reached out to grab it.

"Oi, Mizuki-san, it's illegal to steal things belonging to the Hokage." A voice from behind startled Mizuki, and he promptly turned around. He snarled. It was the Kyūbi brat. He tried to play it cool.

"Oh, hey Naruto. I've been put on guard duty over the scroll, so that nobody steals it." Mizuki lied smoothly. Naruto didn't buy it.

"Forgive me, Mizuki-san, but I call bullshit. Now step away from the scroll and face justice." Naruto had a hand on his blade, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Mizuki growled.

"Stupid brat! Stay out of my way!" With that, Mizuki slung the scroll of his shoulder and threw himself out the nearest window, shattering the glass easily. Naruto quickly followed in pursuit.

'_Damn it, there's no way security didn't hear that! I have to get to the forest and lose them there.' _Mizuki hightailed it to the Forest of Death, hoping to lose his pursuers there. Weaving the the treetops, Mizuki had believed himself safe for the moment, and stopped to catch his breathe. He got no reprieve though, and suddenly felt the strap holding scroll fall. He gasped as it fell to the ground below, only to be caught by an orange blur. Mizuki roared in anger. That stupid brat was ruining everything! Mizuki took out a scroll and unsealed a shuriken as large as he was.

"GET BACK HERE!" Mizuki followed Naruto, who stopped in the middle of a clearing. Mizuki stopped on a branch, glaring down at him. Mizuki suddenly got an idea, and smirked. "You wanna know something Naruto?" He called out. Naruto's piercing stare looked up at Mizuki.

"What is it, traitor?" Naruto asked. He would humor this man before killing him for his deeds.

"You know how you were treated when you were younger, right? The way you were abused and called "demon"?" Silence was his response. "It's because you are a jinchūriki Naruto. You hold within you one of the most infamous demon's of all time. You are the host of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, Kyūbi!"

Naruto stared in shock. The Kyūbi was held inside of him? What did this mean? Mizuki laughed at Naruto's shocked expression.

"That's right Naruto. You are the Kyūbi incarnate, the same demon that attacked this village twelve years ago!"

"... So what?" Mizuki stopped his laughter at that. Naruto stared hatefully at Mizuki. "So what if I am the Kyūbi reborn? If I truly am a monster, then everyone would be dead already. If I am a demon, I am a changed one. One with a sense of honor, a sense that you lack!" Mizuki roared in anger.

"DIE YOU DEMON BRAT!" Mizuki threw the massive shuriken at Naruto with all his might, the large piece of metal spinning as fast as a buzz saw. Naruto stood his ground, and held Kitsune no Kōkatsu up, the blade still in its sheathe. Naruto gripped the hilt with a reverse grip, and spread his legs apart into a firm stance.

"**Ittoryu Iai**..." The shuriken was fast approaching, almost at Naruto now. Mizuki looked on in glee. He was going to do it! He was going to kill the demon brat!

"**Shishi Sonson**!(2)" There was a flash of light as Naruto unsheathed his wakizashi, just enough so that the metal began to show. Just as the giant shuriken was about to hit him, Naruto clicked his blade back into place and the shuriken split into two, diverging to either side of Naruto and leaving him without a scratch. Mizuki gawped at the scene. He hadn't even fully drawn his sword, yet he split the giant spinning metal star of death in half!

"H-How? How did you do that!?" Mizuki screamed. Naruto smirked.

"Like you said, Mizuki-san. I'm a demon!" With that, Naruto charged the shell-shocked chūnin, blade ready to be drawn once more. Mizuki screamed in fright, and got louder the closer Naruto approached. Suddenly, the Naruto charging Mizuki vanished before his eyes. Mizuki's eyes widened before he was knocked unconscious, a smiling Naruto standing over the collapsed form of Mizuki with his right hand held straight. "Nighty-night, Mizuki-san."

"Naruto!" Suddenly, Iruka burst from the brush and landed on the same branch Naruto stood on. Naruto grinned at the man.

"I found you Iruka-sensei!" A tic mark formed on Iruka's head.

"Baka, _I _found _you_!" Iruka yelled indignantly. He then saw the unconscious form of Mizuki. "Naruto, what happened?" Naruto's expression became serious.

"Mizuki was trying to steal the Scroll of Seals. I stopped him and incapacitated him." Iruka nodded and threw Mizuki over his shoulder.

"Thank you Naruto, you just saved one of the village's most prized possessions from falling into the wrong hands." Naruto gave him a small smile, but wanted to reassure something.

"Iruka-sensei, Mizuki told me that I am the host of the Kyūbi." Iruka gasped. "I'm guessing from your reaction that he was telling the truth. Does that make me a demon, Iruka-sensei?" Iruka firmly grasped one of Naruto's shoulders.

"Naruto, you are _not_ a demon. Don't _ever_ let anyone say otherwise. You are keeping the Kyūbi locked inside of you, protecting the village from it. You are a hero Naruto!" Naruto beamed at the chūnin.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei." Iruka smiled at Naruto.

"Anytime, Naruto. I'm going to take Mizuki to the T&amp;I department, so I'm trusting you to take the Scroll of Seals back to the Hokage Mansion." Naruto nodded in affirmative. With that, the two shinobi parted ways, disappearing into the night.

* * *

_Next time on Return to Prominence_

_Naruto grunted as he felt Zabuza press Kubikiribōchō down on him, his arms shaking trying to hold the great blade back. Zabuza let out a small chuckle.  
_

_"For a kid, you're not bad. Such a shame that you're going to die. All that potential, wasted!" Naruto grunted and planted a foot in Zabuza's gut, breaking the engagement. Naruto resheathed his blade, causing Zabuza to grow nervous. He knew first hand of the lethality of Iaijutsu, and did not desire to be sliced in half. The two were at a standstill, waiting for the other to make a move. Zabuza could not cast any jutsu lest he leave himself vulnerable, and Naruto would not be able attack without losing his advantage. All was silent, everyone to nervous to say anything._

_Zabuza made the first move, charging forward with a battle cry. Naruto braced himself. Suddenly, Zabuza swung in a circle and threw the blade of his sword, the hilt detaching with a snap. Naruto's eyes widened at the oncoming projectile._

_"**Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson**!" Naruto quickly drew his sword and resheathed it. The blade of __Kubikiribōchō split in half, and harmlessly flew past him. Having focused on the blade, Naruto lost track of Zabuza. Suddenly, a deep pain filled Naruto's chest. Naruto looked down. One of the blade halves had been lodged in his chest. Naruto could only stare in shock. He looked behind him. Zabuza was there, staring at him, a mournful look in his eyes.  
_

_"Sorry kid, nothing personal. Just business." Naruto collapsed to his knees, blood pooling around him. He heard screaming, but he couldn't turn his head back to see who it was._

_"Naruto! NARUTO!" Naruto fell to the ground, slipping into blackness_

* * *

A/N: Wow... almost 8,000 words. I never would have thought I would hit that milestone. God, I'm so hyped for this story! I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am!

1\. "Kitsune no Kōkatsu" "Cunning of the Fox"

2\. Kitsune no Kōkatsu is loosely based on Shusui, one of Zoro's swords. **Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson **and **Hanauta Sanchō: Yahazu Giri **are techniques used by Zoro and Brook respectively.

So please, if you liked it, leave a review! If you have any questions or criticisms, please also leave a review or PM me. I'll see you guys later. Ja ne!


	3. C-rank Gone Awry! D-ranks Not So Bad

A/N: Hey guys Kozu here. I just wanted to thank you so much for the feedback on this story. I just wanted to reply to some of the reviews while I could.

**Guest: **Oh, I'm terribly sorry for that. I had thought that I had mentioned it in the first chapter, but I left it out! Thank you for catching that, and I have already fixed that and given credit where it's due.

**Sith Raven's Shadow:** Well my good sir, your English is "spot on". Did you happen to mean Kishimoto? And who is this "fanboy" you refer to? I certainly hope you do not mean me, for I haven't even finished Shippuden yet! Disregarding that fact, I have only written two Naruto fanfics, and one of them is complete crap, I will admit that. However, I do not appreciate you coming in here saying, and I quote, "I'm gone and this Kisha motor cock sucking fanboy trash has been reported bye you naive chidish loser", without proper reason to do so. I do hope you realize that YOU'VE made yourself a prime candidate to be both reported and banned, just for acting like such the little troll you are. So if I'm childish, or "chidish" in your words, then you are but an embryonic still-born bitter at the fact that you can do nothing but troll, wasting your own pathetic life. So, in Layman's terms, go out and actually do something with your life instead of wasting away in your mother's basement trying to make other people feel bad.

**Killjoy3000: **Judging from your name, I would have thought you would turn out like the troll above. Thankfully, that is not the case. :) Anyhow, I'm glad you like the story. Naruto is going to be using both sword based techniques and regular jutsu.

* * *

The morning after Naruto stopped Mizuki, Naruto was called to the Hokage's office to report the event. Naruto explained everything in detail to the Hokage, who nodded periodically.

"For a chūnin to be able to sneak past several of our jōnin and steal the Scroll of Seals in unacceptable. I will see to it that those on duty that night are punished." The Hokage's voice sounded so calm, yet there was an intimidating aura that filled the room. Naruto coughed slightly, knocking Hiruzen out of his hostile state of mind.

"Is that all, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked politely. On their personal time, he would still call him Jiji, but when business came to, he would show Hiruzen the respect that he deserves.

"No, not yet Naruto." Hiruzen pulled out a scroll from beneath his desk and handed it to Naruto. "This is the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, a special variant of the regular bunshin. The scroll has all details you need to know about the technique. It is your reward for capturing Mizuki alive, and for the task in general, five-thousand ryō will be transferred into your personal account." Naruto took the scroll from Hiruzen.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Is that all?" Naruto asked once more. Hiruzen smiled at the boy.

"Yes Naruto-kun, that is all."Naruto stood from his seat.

"Hokage-sama, today is the day I become a full-fledged samurai. But to become so, I must pledge my allegiance to a lord." Naruto knelt down to Hiruzen. "I would like to swear my vow to you, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen had a shocked expression on his face.

"Naruto, are you absolutely sure about this? I have no qualms about this, but I need to know why." Naruto grinned at the man.

"It's because, Hokage-sama, you are the only candidate left for me to swear to. I cannot swear my allegiance to Tou-san, because he is another samurai, one without a master at that, despite how much I want to. I also do not wish to serve anyone I do not know intimately, a level of relation that we have now."

"I see.. And I assume you're swearing to me, not the title, yes, Naruto?"

"That is correct, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen was silent for a moment, contemplating.

"...Okay Naruto, You may swear your vows." Naruto looked up at Hiruzen, a grin on his face,

"I hereby pledge myself to Lord Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hokage of Konohagakure. To him I swear my honor and duty, and promise to bring him great honor in the field of battle. I will not seek to usurp his position, and will sacrifice my life to my Lord if he so wishes." Naruto rose from his position, and bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." With that, Naruto exited the room. Hiruzen was still smiling even after he left.

'_You really are a great boy Naruto, and you will become an even greater man.'_

* * *

Naruto arrived at the academy shortly after his meeting with the Hokage. Naruto had sealed away the scroll he had gotten, anxious to look it over later. Everyone that passed was here. Naruto was suddenly glomped from behind.

"Naruto-kun!" Ino said cheerfully. "You really should have came with us yesterday, we all had a blast!"

"Surprisingly, it wasn't troublesome at all. It... was actually kind of fun." Shikamaru admitted with a sigh. "Even Shino had a good time." Naruto looked at Shino.

"Yes... I did enjoy myself quite a bit." Shino said in his monotonous tone. Naruto was sure he saw a smile underneath that giant collar.

"I'm very sorry, but I had other matters to attend to with the up-most of urgency." Naruto apologized. Iruka came into the room, and called for everyone to take their seats. Naruto and his group sat down, Ino and Shino flanking him and Shikamaru behind.

"Thank you all for coming here today. As you know, today is the day you become official shinobi of Konohagakure. I just want to tell you a few things before I say the team placements." Iruka paused, making sure everyone was listening. "I'm not going to lie, becoming a shinobi is a both a proud but dangerous thing to be. As you all grow older, the missions that you will be taking could be potentially life threatening. But I have faith in you. All of you have shown great skill in the academy, and I know that you will surpass the last generation." A slow clap started by Naruto turned into a raging applause. Iruka grinned. "Well, I'm done with my boring speech. Now listen carefully as I call out your names."

Everyone waited anxiously for their names to be called. "... Team Seven will be Haruno Sakura, Akimichi Chōji, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." Sakura yelled out in glee as Sasuke grimaced. "Team Eight will be Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Your sensei will be Yūhi Kurenai. Team Nine is still in rotation."

"Tough luck Shino." Shikamaru consoled.

"It does sadden me a bit, but I do not mind." Shino admitted. Naruto smiled at his friend.

"Well, if there's anyone here who will be able to protect Hinata fro Kiba, it's you Shino." Shino smiled at that.

"Team Ten will be Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Uzumaki Naruto. Your sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma." Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru cheered. "Ah, it seems that most of your sensei have arrived." The door opened and several men and women can into the room. One of them, a man with black hari and a pronounced beard, approached Naruto and his friends.

"It's good to see you Naruto. And two out of three of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, I am truly blessed." Naruto smiled. He had met Asuma during one of his meetings with the Hokage. Naruto really liked the man, he seemed like a truly enlightened and strong person. "Follow me kids, we're going for a walk." The group, minus Shino, followed their new sensei, chatting with each other along the way.

* * *

_Training Ground 24_

The team arrived at a forest clearing, a lake on the far side of the area, and a single wooden pole at the center. They stood in the center of the clearing, the students silently awaiting their sensei's instruction.

"Okay, first, let's get to know each other. I'll go first to show you how its done." Asuma cleared his throat. "I'm Sarutobi Asuma. I like to smoke and to be brutally honest with people. I dislike things that come between me and my cigarette. My dreams are to get married and gave a family. Naruto, why don't you go next?" Naruto nodded.

"Mu name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like my precious people and ramen. I dislike things that wish to hurt my precious people and people who judge others without getting to know them. My dreams are to restore the Uzumaki clan and live an honorable life."

"I'm Yamanaka Ino. I like my friends and flowers. I dislike people who pick on others just to make themselves feel better about themselves. My dreams are to marry a hot guy and have him take care of my every need." Asuma couldn't help but notice that she glanced at Naruto when she said that last line.

"Ugh, do I have to?" Shikamaru groaned. Ino punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! Troublesome woman."

"Stop being so lazy Shikamaru!" Ino commanded.

"Fine. I'm Nara Shikamaru. I like playing shōgi and watching clouds. I dislike doing anything requiring physical effort. My dream is to find a trophy wife who will take care of me." Ino punched him again. "Ow, stop doing that! You just said the same thing!"

"Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you that you haven't actually become genin yet. You have to take another test, administered by me." Asuma's eye gleamed evilly. "And you only have a thirty-three percent chance to pass it." His students' eyes widened at that. The pass rate was that low? Asuma took out two bells from his pocket and held them in front of his team. "The goal of the test is simple. You each need to take one of these bells from me. If you do, you pass. But if you fail, you get sent back to the academy."

"But Asuma-sensei, there are only two bells." Ino stated. Asuma smirked.

"That's right Ino. The whole point of this test is to find the weakest link and remove them from the team. And if none of you can grab one, then you all go back to the academy." All was silent for a few moments, his students too shocked to even protest. Asuma pulled out a timer and placed it on the pole. "You have three hours starting..." The group tensed.

"Now." The kids all lept away into the brush as soon as he finished the word. _'I gotta hand it to them. They have fast reaction times.'_

The group of genin put a good mile of distance between themselves and their sensei, and were currently sharing their thoughts.

"What are we gonna do? Even if we do get the bells, he is still going to send one of us back!" Ino was the most affected by their current predicament. Both of these guys were her friends, and she couldn't choose between them. But at the same time, she didn't want to go back to the academy herself. Shikamaru spoke up.

"It's simple, we work together to get the bells. This whole test is about teamwork and camaraderie." Naruto nodded in agreement.

"He's trying to get us to turn against each other by saying that only those who get a bell will pass." Naruto explained. Ino "ah'd" and nodded in understanding.

"So what's the plan?" She asked. Shikamaru and Naruto turned to each other, locked eyes and grinned.

Asuma was waiting for his students to come get him. He knew they were coming anyway, so he leaned back against a tree, took out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled the addictive tobacco. Asuma sighed in relief, a large puff of smoke leaving his mouth with the exhale. He was left there, taking drag after drag until only the butt remained. Asuma disintegrated the remains, the butt turning to ash. "Damn, what's taking those kids so long?" He was getting bored. Suddenly, he saw Naruto come out of the brush, a determined look on his face.

"Where are your friends, Naruto? I had expected you guys to work together." Naruto only responded with silence. Suddenly, Asuma was surrounded by Narutos, he estimated about a hundred. Asuma stayed relaxed though, knowing they were all illusions. "You're not gonna psyche me out Naruto, I know these are fakes." Nevertheless, All the Narutos charged him. As they did, the original Naruto crisscrossed with his clones, disorienting Asuma. There were so many he had a hard time keeping track. One of the Naruto's suddenly pulled out a kunai, signaling that it was the real one. Asuma charged at that one Naruto, drawing out his own kunai. Asuma paid the illusions no mind, and clashed blades with the original. The younger shinobi was struggling to keep the lock with the jōnin. Naruto suddenly smirked, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, revealing Ino in his place. Asuma gasped. Wait, where was the real one? He quickly glanced down at his belt. The bell were gone! He saw Naruto standing off to the side, bells in his hands and a grin on his face. He quickly disengaged Ino to try and retrieve them, but found that he couldn't move. Asuma gasped and looked down at his shadow. It was connected to one of the Naruto clones, who then puffed into Shikamaru.

"**Kagemane no Jutsu **(Shadow Possession Technique) complete." Shikamaru announced for all to hear. Ino and Naruto let out a cheer, their plan had worked! Asuma let out a laugh.

"Ahahah! Damn, I shouldn't have underestimated you kids." Asuma smirked. "But now that Naruto has the bells, who's he gonna take with him?" To answer his question, Naruto tossed a bell to Ino and Shikamaru.

"Both. We know that this test was about teamwork Asuma-sensei." Asuma let out a sigh in defeat. Suddenly, he puffed into smoke, nothing remaining but Shikamaru's extended shadow. "What?!"

"Looking for me?" Naruto did a complete one-eighty, finding Asuma standing behind him, an ear-splitting grin gracing his features. "Congratulations, you all pass!" All of his kids cheered, even Shikamaru.

"Yatta, we did it dattebayo!" Naruto yelled excitedly. Naruto's verbal tic made his friends laugh.

" "Dattebayo?" I didn't know you had a verbal tic Naruto!" Shikamaru laughed.

"It's kind of cute in a way Naruto-kun." Ino giggled. Naruto grew flustered, a rare sight nowadays.

"Ugh, I thought I was over it a long time ago!" Naruto tried vainly to make an excuse, but his friends laughed even more. Asuma chuckled as well. After the laughter subsided, all turned to Asuma.

"Get ready kids, we will be training tomorrow at eight sharp, so don't be late." At that, the team went their separate ways for the day, returning home to tell their parents of their success.

* * *

Naruto arrived home to find Kisuke patiently awaiting him. By his side were two scrolls.

"Hello Tou-san, how has your day been?" Naruto asked.

"It was fine Naruto." Kisuke responded, albeit hesitantly. "I have your armor Naruto. I trust you have already sword your vows to Hokage-sama?"

"Yes Tou-san, I have. May I see my armor now?" Naruto asked excitedly. Kisuke nodded with a smile. Kisuke unrolled the scrolls and applied a bit of chakra to them. Two sets of armor appeared, both the same in structure, similar to Kisuke's, but varied in color. The metal on one set was midnight black, the cloth beneath a dark blue and covered with a layer of mesh. On the kabuto, a metal plate depicting the Uzumaki clan's swirl was placed where the kuwagata was. A respirator was also attached to the helmet, covering everything below the bridge of the nose. The other set had vibrant orange plates with a gold trim, the cloth a cool black. The orange set had a black jin-baori with a gold trim. On the back was the Uzumaki swirl, a deep blue in color. This set lacked a kabuto. Naruto stared at the armor in awe. He reached over and hugged his surrogate father close.

"Thank you, Tou-san. I will wear this armor proudly and will make sure to keep it in good condition." Kisuke pulled away from the embrace, a forlorn look in his eyes.

"Naruto, this is not the only news I bear. I must leave Konohagakure for an urgent matter in Yuki no Kuni. I may not be back for several months." Kisuke's expression hardened at Naruto's shock.

"Why Tou-san? What is going on in Yuki no Kuni that you have to leave for such a long amount of time?" Naruto asked, a deep worry filling his being. Kisuke sighed.

"Naruto, remember the two shinobi who had attacked us two years ago?" Naruto nodded. He tried to move past that night, tried to pretend that it never happened. He never asked Kisuke about it, but always wondered what had happened to the rōnin, wondered about his crime of desertion, of his former master. "Those men had been sent by the current daimyo of Yuki no Kuni, Kazahana Dotō." A tinge of anger graced his expression as he said the name.

"That man killed my master, Kazahana Sōsetsu, his brother and former daimyo of Yuki no Kuni. You see Naruto, I had originally came to Konoha to hide from Dotō, to disappear into the wind. But recently, I have received a letter from one of my former comrades. He intends to start a rebellion, to overthrow Dotō and put my master's daughter, Kazahana Koyuki, into position of daimyo." Kisuke met Naruto's eyes, a sorrowful look in his own. "I am needed there Naruto. I must take this opportunity to avenge my master's demise. I do not wish to leave you Naruto, but my honor demands that I bring that man to justice." Kisuke paused to let the information sink into Naruto's mind. "I go by an alias there, Naruto. I am known as the Shiroi Ryū no Yuki (1). I was the right hand of my lord, his most trusted advisor, and I failed to keep him safe." Kisuke grasped Naruto's shoulders. "I must do this Naruto." Tears welled in Naruto's eyes, but he nodded in understanding. Kisuke embraced Naruto, and held him close for several minutes.

"Promise me," Naruto started, his voice a hushed whisper. "Promise me that you'll return."

"I promise you Naruto, you will see me again, you can count on that."

The next morning, Naruto followed Kisuke to the stables to see him off. Kisuke was dressed in his armor, the sun gleaming off the reflective white surface of the plate. Ryū no Ishi was at his side as always. Kisuke mounted Khan, the great black stallion neighing in excitement, as if he knew that a great battle was coming. Kisuke reached down and ruffled Naruto's hair before driving Khan forward, the warhorse galloping at an astounding pace. Naruto waved fervently until Kisuke disappeared behind the horizon.

* * *

After the departure of Kisuke, Naruto began training under the tutelage of Sarutobi Asuma. During the duration of three week's, Asuma had taught his genin the tree-climbing exercise the water-walking exercise, and that D-ranked missions sucked. For the tree-climbing and water walking exercises,all three of the genin managed to do so without much difficulty. Shikamaru had it down pat, Ino got it on her third try, and Naruto on his tenth. The D-ranks on the other hand had caused much distress in the genin team, particularly Shikamaru. The lazy boy was so fed up with having to fix a fence, or weed a garden, or walk the Inuzuka dogs, all of which could have been done by a normal civilian. It was getting in between him and his cloud watching damn it! Even Naruto was somewhat annoyed by the tedious missions, and he was usually the calm one on the team. Today though, was slightly different.

"Today, we will be testing your elemental affinities." Asuma announced as he pulled out four slips of paper from his pocket. He handed one each to his students, keeping one to himself. "What you're gonna need to do is channel some of your chakra into that paper, and one of five things will happen depending on your affinity. If it's fire, then it will ignite and turn to ash, earth will turn to dirt and crumble, water will make it damp, wind will cut it in two, and lightning will make it wrinkle. Watch." Asuma held up his own paper and channeled some chakra into it. The paper was split into two, and one half was lit aflame , then turned to ashes. Ino raised her hand.

"Asuma-sensei, you said one of those things would happen. How come the paper was cut then burned?" She asked confusedly.

"It's because I trained with Katon jutsu so much that I built a secondary affinity for it. My natural affinity is wind. It is possible to have multiple affinities, but it is rare. Shikamaru, you start." Shikamaru channeled some chakra into the paper. Half of it ignited and the other turned to dirt. The genin all stared at Asuma, who was mildly surprised.

"What a coincidence, Shikamaru has a dual affinity for fire and earth. You're next Ino." Ino channeled her chakra into the paper. Half became wet and the other turned to dirt. They stared at their sensei again, a deadpan look on their faces. Asuma rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"That must also be a coincidence. Naruto, you're up." Naruto channeled some of his chakra int the paper. The slip split into two, one half becoming wrinkled while the other grew wet. They all once again stared at their sensei with expressionless faces. Asuma was completely baffled.

"Okay, never mind what I said before. That was obviously a load." Asuma sighed.

"So are you going to teach us any elemental jutsu, Asuma-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Considering the circumstances, I can help you with wind and Shikamaru with fire, but besides that I can only try to find other jōnin who have water, earth, and lightning affinities and send you to them." Asuma felt bad that he couldn't help Ino at all, but she had two affinities polar opposite of his own. There was nothing he could teach her himself.

"So what's next, Asuma-sensei?" Shikamaru asked in a tired voice. Asuma grinned.

"Well, I got us another mission." All three genin groaned. "Tora, the fire daimyo's wife's cat, is on the loose again and we need to capture her." Shikamaru had a tic mark on his forehead.

"A cat? We have to chase a freaking cat!? Trouble cat, troublesome mission, troublesome life! Kuso, kuso, KUSO (2)!" Shikamaru stomped around and cursed to the heavens. Naruto sighed and went to calm his friend down.

"Oi, Shikamaru, settle down will you?" The Nara met the blond's gaze indignantly. "I'll make sure that after this, we will actually get a mission that has some meaning to it." Shikamaru growled, but fell to the ground somewhat calmer. With the Nara calmed from his tantrum, Team Asuma went to start their mission.

* * *

"Flower, this is Bushi (3), I have sight of the target."

"Bushi, this is Flower, please confirm target coordinates."

"Target is in the alley between the Dango Shop and Nagaki Inn. Shall I approach the target?"

"Negative Bushi, wait until Shadow and I get into position, just encase the friendly approach doesn't work. Wait for our affirmative."

"Why are we doing this again? This whole thing seems more troublesome than it's worth."

"Don't you think it spices up the mission Shadow? I personally enjoy it."

"Of course you would Naruto, this was your idea after all."

"Shadow, stay in character! I'm having fun with this, so stop ruining it with your whining!"

"Troublesome, I'm in position Bushi."

"Flower is also in position."

"All right, let's nab this cat."

"Tora?" Naruto called. The cat quickly turned to him and hissed. Naruto just smiled at her, and knelt down. "Don't worry Tora, I won't hurt you. I come with an offer." Tora eyed Naruto carefully, relaxing a bit, but still ready to leap away at a moment's notice. "If you would come with us and return to Madame Shijimi, I will tell her the reason why you keep running away and will show her how to properly hold you." Tora meowed. "A whole fish now?" The cat nodded. Naruto sighed, but still smiled. "Fine, I'll get you a fish if you come with me." Tora cautiously walked to Naruto, still nervous about being forcefully captured, but was gently brought into his hold. Tora mewed in his arms, snuggling into his chest for more comfort. Naruto grinned as he raised one hand to his earpiece. "Target acquired, mission complete. Await for me at the Hokage's office."

"Affirmative Bushi."

"Finally. See you later Naruto."

Naruto walked to the city port, where the fish market was. "Okay Tora, what fish do you want?" Tora pointed at a rather large salmon at a nearby stand. Naruto paid for the fish and dropped it on the ground. "Here you go Tora." Tora leapt down to the fish and devoured it in seconds. Naruto sweatdropped at the sheer speed and voracity that the cat ate the fish. With a small burp, Tora mewed and jumped back into Naruto's arms, leaving only a skeleton left. Naruto started walking back to the Hokage's office, feeling relieved at a mission well done.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the office about ten minutes later, Tora almost falling asleep in his arms. A rather large woman squealed at the sight of the cat.

"Oh Tora, my baby, how I've missed you so!" The woman yelled as she rushed to take the cat from Naruto. Naruto stepped back from the woman, causing some confusion. "What's the matter shinobi-san?"

"I apologize Madame Shijimi, but I've found out the reason as to why Tora keeps running away. She says that you crush her with your embraces, and she finds that most unpleasant. If you wish, I could show you how Tora likes to be held." Madame Shijimi nodded and listened as Naruto explained to her how to hold the cat. After the lecture, Tora was now mewing happily in Madame Shijimi's arms, very thankful of the kind boy who made her life a lot easier.

"Thank you shinobi-san, I promise to take better care of her."

"Of course, Madame Shijimi, it was a pleasure." With that, the fire daimyo's wife left the tower, Tora scrambled over her shoulder and waved her paw at Naruto. She gave a small meow, and the two disappeared with the closing of the door. Naruto sighed at a job well done, and turned to see the stunned expressions of his teammates, sensei, and Hokage.

"I still can't believe that worked." Shikamaru said in disbelief.

"I still can't believe that you can talk to animals, Naruto-kun." Ino praised. Naruto shrugged.

"Eh, I used to talk to animals all the time when I was younger. It was just something I picked up."

Hiruzen coughed, bringing attention back to him. "Well, that was a job well done Naruto. The mission pay will be transferred to your accounts. And there will be a little bonus for saving the next generation of shinobi from the demon cat Tora."

"Hokage-sama." Naruto called.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"I believe my team ready for a C-rank mission." Naruto turned to Asuma. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Asuma-sensei, but I truly believe that if we do another D-rank mission, Shikamaru is going to go on a rampage."

"Damn right I will." Shikamaru muttered under his breathe. Hiruzen looked to his son for his approval. Asuma sighed. He wanted to make them suffer a bit more, but the look in Naruto's eyes made no room for argument. He relented.

"Yeah, fine. What do you have dad?" Asuma asked. Hiruzen shufled through some scrolls before laying three out on his desk.

"You have a choice of delivering a package to Sunagakure, attacking a bandit group operating along the Naka river, or escorting a bridge builder to Nami no Kuni and guarding him during his work." Naruto looked over the mission scrolls carefully.

"What do you guys think?" Naruto asked his teammates.

"I'm not so sure about going to Sunagakure. It's supposed to be really hot this time of year, so I'd rather stay out of it." Ino inputted.

"Attacking bandits seems too troublesome to do. I'd rather not get my hands steeped in blood at my current age, thank you very much." Shikamaru knew he had to kill eventually, just not right now. Naruto nodded and thanked them for their input. That only leaves the escort mission.

"We'll escort the bridge builder, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen nodded, and Asuma took the scroll, reading the mission specs.

"I will inform the bridge builder then. You will all come here tomorrow at nine o'clock. Make sure to pack your essentials for the trip. You will be heading out tomorrow." The team nodded in unison. "Dismissed." Team Asuma left the room.

"Thanks for that Naruto, you're the man." Shikamaru said graciously.

"Of course, Shikamaru, what are friends for?" Naruto replied. Naruto suddenly felt more pressure on his back.

"Mou, I'm tired Naruto-kun. Carry me back home please?" Ino whined. Naruto sighed as he hoisted Ino into a better position for him to carry.

"As you wish, Ino-chan." Ino let out a small cheer. Shikamaru sighed in an exasperated manner. Why doesn't she just kiss him and be done with it? Despite the fact that Naruto is one of the greatest minds he have ever met, Naruto's limited knowledge about girls and their mannerisms made him one of the densest men in the world. If the world threw a harem at him, Naruto wouldn't even know what to do with it. Shikamaru scoffed at the thought. Like that would ever happen. Not wanting to be a third wheel, Shikamaru bid the two blondes a good night. Hopefully, he escaped just in time before they made kissy faces at each other.

With Shikamaru now gone, Ino became even bolder with her actions. She started nuzzling her head into the crook of Naruto's neck, finding a good place to rest her head on. Naruto noticed it.

"Feeling tired already, Ino-chan? It's not even dusk yet." Naruto asked the girl. Ino hummed a "no", her head still resting on Naruto's shoulder. She gripped him even tighter now, her thighs squeezing against his sides. Naruto noticed it but said nothing. They soon arrived at the Yamanaka flower shop, though Ino did not notice, too busy rubbing herself against Naruto's toned body.

"Ino-chan, we're here. You can get down now." Ino grunted in slight acknowledgment. Slowly, she slipped off his back and onto her two feet. She walked to the door, but stopped in front of Naruto.

"Thanks for the ride Naruto." She got in close, then pecked his cheek, causing the boy to grow red in embarrassment. Ino leaned into his ear. "You make a great pillow." She whispered. Naruto didn't even hear her, to stunned by the kiss she laid on his cheek. With the boy now shell-shocked, Ino giggled and entered her home. Naruto touched his cheek after she left. That felt, rather nice. A small, weird feeling grew in Naruto's stomach. What was this feeling? It felt like butterflies were fluttering around in his belly. He would need to ask Ino what this meant when they met tomorrow.

'_That was weird, but I liked it. I wonder if Ino would do that more if I asked her?'_

* * *

After Naruto got home, he opened the scroll he got from Hiruzen weeks ago. He had looked it over carefully, reading all the details about what the jutsu did, and the benefits it could bring. Naruto has been practicing the jutsu for a few nights now ,though he didn't have much success. But tonight he would do it, if only so that he would have a back up technique that would catch his opponents off guard. Naruto made the required hand sign and inhaled deeply.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **(Shadow Clone Technique)." A puff of smoke filled the room for a brief moment, but now there were two Naruto's, both alike down to the last cell. Naruto and his clone slowly touched fingers, both feeling skin on skin contact. Both Naruto's grinned in happiness. "Yatta, I did it dattebayo!" They both said at the same time. Suddenly, a thought grazed his mind.

"Hey, can you henge into someone for me?" Naruto asked his clone. The clone nodded. With a puff of smoke, an exact of copy Ino was standing in place of the clone. "Um... Could you do what Ino did to me earlier?" The clone nodded, though with a slightly awkward look on its face. Slowly coming in, the clone placed a kiss on Naruto's cheek, exactly like the real Ino did before. Naruto struck a thinking pose._'It's similar, but different at the same time.' _Naruto looked at clone Ino's lip's. _'I wonder...' _Naruto suddenly leaned in, placing his lips on his clone's. The clone's eyes widened, but didn't fight the kiss. For a moment, the two locked lips fervently, albeit sloppily. After a minute or so passed, they disengaged, both panting slightly. Suddenly realizing what had just transpired, the clone dispelled itself in embarrassment as Naruto clutched his and screamed, the perspective of his clone now forever emblazoned in his memory.

"Gah, I'm a pervert! I thinking just like Inu-oniisan!"

* * *

Forgetting the events that, *ahem*, transpired the night before, Naruto adorned his battle armor and packed spares of his normal clothes and a sleeping bag, as well as a filled canteen and some ramen cups, and sealed them all into a storage scroll, which he promptly attached to his scroll holster. Naruto firmly secured the holster to his obi, as well as Kitsune no Kōkatsu. Naruto smiled in excitement.

He was ready.

* * *

Naruto met his team outside the Hokage's office, though they had hardly recognized him due to the helmet.

"Naruto, is that you?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto nodded.

"Hai, it is me, Shikamaru." Naruto replied, his voice slightly distorted by the respirator.

"Your armor looks really cool, Naruto-kun. I like it!" Ino said, examining the armor intently. Naruto was glad that the respirator covered his face, Ino wouldn't be able to know he was blushing.

"Thank you, Ino-chan." A lady, the Hokage's secretary, got their attention.

"Hokage-sama will see you now." She opened the door for them. Along with the Hokage, a grizzled old man stood by the desk. The man had a large, grey beard and glasses, and was wearing a large straw hat. He had a small canteen on his side in the shape of a gourd.. Hiruzen greeted them with a smile.

"Ah, here they are. Tazuna, this is Team Ten, led by my own son Asuma. Team Ten, this is your client, Tazuna." Team Ten offered their greetings, but the old man's expression hardened just a bit.

"This is my protection? Two kids, a samurai, and a smoker?" Tazuna said with a tinge of annoyance. He opened the gourd and took a swig of what they assumed was alcohol, judging from his breathe. "Surely you've got another team somewhere, one with more experience?" Hiruzen stared at the man, a bit irked by his dismal of the genin team. They were his shinobi. No one insulted his shinobi.

"Well Tazuna-san, you have payed for a C-ranked mission. That entails only the threat of bandits, something I assure you that this genin team can handle." Hiruzen's eyes stared calculatingly at the bridge builder." Unless there is more to this mission than you are letting on?" Tazuna gulped in anxiousness.

"O-Of course not! I was just a bit concerned when I saw two kids on the team." Tazuna assured nervously. He turned to Team Asuma. "I presume that you are all ready to leave now?"

The entirety of the team nodded in unison.

* * *

The group traveled quickly to wave. The genin team took positions around the bridge builder, Naruto taking point Ino and Shikamaru on the flanks, and Asuma taking the vanguard. They were making good progress, maybe only half a day's worth away. As they were walking, the genin team noticed a puddle at the side of the road ahead, all sharing the same thought.

'_It hasn't rained in the last two weeks. Why is there a puddle?' _

They cautiously passed the puddle, when suddenly a pair of shinobi jumped from the puddle and attacked Asuma. They wrapped a serrated chain around him, covering the jōnin from the neck down, before pulling. There was the sound of ripping flesh, and Asuma laid on the ground in pieces. Everyone was shocked at the sensei's brutal death before the genin snapped into action.

"Shikamaru, Ino, protect Tazuna!" Naruto ordered as he rushed the shinobi. They both wore respirators and a slashed Kirigakure hitai-ate, though one had a horn growing from the middle of it while one had it going from the top corner, as well as camouflaged clothing. They each had a large metal gauntlet with sharp claws, which was where the chain was attached, but had them on opposite arms of each other. Both had brown hair, though one's was smooth and shoulder length while the other's was longer and spiky, as well as dark eyes.

The brothers counter charged Naruto, sweeping to his sides, hoping to to catching him with their chain. Naruto drew his sword and channeled chakra through it, making the blade stronger and sharper. With a swing, Naruto sliced the chain, cutting the link between the two shinobi. They jumped away from him, and wrapped the broken chain around their gauntlets.

The spiky haired one glanced at his partner.

"Gōzu, take care of the samurai, I'll take care of the bridge builder." He ordered.

"Be quick about it Meizu, I don't wish to hurt these kids." Gōzu replied. Gōzu rushed to engaged Naruto, his gauntlet clashing with Naruto's wakizashi.

Meizu rushed to Tazuna, bearing his gauntlet to stab the man. Suddenly, he stopped mid charge. _'I... can't... move!' _He glanced down and saw his shadow connected to Shikamaru. The Nara smirked.

"Too easy. Ino, take it from here." Meizu stared at the girl beside the boy, her hands forming a circle and pointed directly at him.

"**Shintenshin no Jutsu**! (Mind-Body Switch Technique)" Ino fired off her consciousness into Meizu, her original body collapsing into Shikamaru's arms. Meizu's body was now hers, and she rushed off to help Naruto.

Naruto and Gōzu launched a flurry of blows at each other before jumping back. Neither had been able to get a hit in, both aiming a for a non-lethal blow. Suddenly, Gōzu dodged a slash from Meizu.

"Meizu, what the hell are you doing!?" Gōzu yelled at his brother. Naruto used this opportunity to sneak up behind Gōzu and knocked him out. Naruto turned to Meizu, and both smiled at each other.

"Good job Ino-chan! Asuma-sensei, you can come out now!" Naruto called. Asuma stepped out from behind the brush, a small smile on his face.

"Good job team! I knew you could do it!" Asuma proudly proclaimed. Shikamaru frowned.

"You just wanted us to do all the work, lazy sensei." The Nara scoffed.

"That's like the pot calling the kettle black Shikamaru." Asuma retorted. Tazuna had a bewildered look on his face.

"What just happened?" The old man asked. He was met with stares from all members of his escort. Asuma stepped towards the man.

"What just happened was my team saved your ass from chūnin-level shinobi. Those were the Demon Brothers, a pair missing-nin, not just some ragtag bandits!" Tazuna was sweating profusely from Asuma's killing intent. "By lying about the level of danger too this mission, we are no longer obligated to continue. Give me one good reason why we shouldn't leave you here and go back to our village!" Asuma yelled in the man's face. Tazuna dropped to his knees and bowed.

"Please, don't leave! My country needs me to finish this bridge so that we can survive! Without it, my people will all die. Please!" Tazuna begged. His friends, his family were all in danger! He couldn't fail them now, not when he was so close!

Asuma turned to the rest of his team, who had just finished tying up the brothers. "What do you guys think, should we continue or head back?" He asked. He honestly didn't care either way. He knew his team was strong and could probably handle anything of similar skill to the Demon Brothers, but was still pissed at the man for putting their lives in potential danger. Naruto spoke up.

"I believe we can continue, Asuma-sensei. If the enemies we face are anything like the Demon Brothers, then we will have no trouble." Ino followed up.

"Yeah, look at how easy these guys were to beat! We can definitely do this!" Shikamaru sighed, but stood with his friends.

"It would be troublesome to have come all this way and not see it through." Shikamaru stated. Asuma nodded, and turned to Tazuna.

"It looks like we will continue, but bear in mind that you will pay the amount of an A-ranked mission after this is over. Know that we have only stayed with you because my team wanted us to. I wouldn't have cared if you were gutted by those shinobi back there, you do not put the lives of my students in danger." Tazuna gulped and nodded in understanding. The group resumed travel, albeit with a bit more tension in the air. Naruto called back to Tazuna.

"Oi, Tazuna-san, who exactly hired those shinobi to kill you?" Tazuna's eyes filled with hatred and sorrow as he explained.

"It was the shipping tycoon, Gatō of Gatō Company. He took over Nami no Kuni's trade routes and made a monopoly. Everything we buy and sell was controlled by Gatō, and soon our once prospering country became impoverished. That's why I have to build this bridge, to break the hold Gatō has over my country."

* * *

The group arrived at the border of Nami no Kuni, a large river dividing the two lands. A small motorboat awaited on the shore, along with a nervous looking man named Kaji. As group boarded the boat, Kaji pushed the vessel off shore. After a few minutes of travel, Shikamaru groaned, feeling sea-sick.

"God, how much longer? I won't be able to last much more." His face was an unhealthy shade of green. Tazuna shushed the boy.

"Quiet! We have to be silent, lest Gatō's goons find us!" The group managed to get to land before Shikamaru vomited. They continued on their way, the genin exuding a confident aura. After a while, as they were passing a small lake, Naruto sensed something in the bushes to the right them. He stopped and stared intently at it, causing the others to stop behind him.

"What's the matter Naruto-kun?" Ino asked as she came up to him.

"I sensed something in that bush." Naruto explained. Suddenly, a small white rabbit hopped from said bush, into plain view for all to see.

"Oh, its so cute!" Ino went and brought the rabbit into her arms. "Well, you were right at least about something being there Naruto-kun." Ino teased. Naruto tensed. He felt something there, and it wasn't this rabbit. Shikamaru stared at the rabbit. Its fur was white, but that shouldn't be possible, not during the summer. That could only mean that it was raised indoors. His eyes widened.

"EVERYONE! GET DOWN!" Shikamaru yelled. Everyone but Naruto ducked as a large sword came flying out of the woodwork. Naruto faced the blade and got into a firm stance.

"**Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson**!" With a quick draw and resheathe, the sword was split in half. The two halves of the blade stuck themselves into two different trees, and an angry roar drew their attention.

"You brat! You cut my sword in half!" A deep voice came from above. Team Ten stared at a very buff man that stood on the lower half of his bisected sword. He had short brown hair and his eyebrows were almost nonexistent, a slashed Kirigakure hitai-ate haphazardly tied to his forehead. His eyes were a dark brown and gleaming with anger. The lower half of his face was covered with bandages. The only thing covering his chest was a strap that presumably held his sword. He wore grey and white camo pants with shinobi sandals. He was glaring down at Naruto.

Naruto met his gaze, unwavering. "You shouldn't have so carelessly thrown it like that if you didn't want to lose it!" Naruto rebutted. Asuma stared intently at the man, and quickly realized who it was.

"Stay back Naruto! Everyone, let me deal with him." Asuma warned. The genin quickly formed around Tazuna.

"Who is this guy, Asuma-sensei?" Ino asked. Asuma drew his trench knives and channeled chakra thought them.

"That is Momochi Zabuza, "The Demon of the Mist", one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and a jōnin level missing-nin. " Zabuza laughed as he wrenched the remains of his blade from the tree.

"It seems that my fame runs before me." He stared intently at Naruto. "I'm going to offer you your lives for the bridge builder's. Give him to me, and the rest of you may leave unharmed. Even you, little samurai, despite splitting my blade in twain."

"That's not happening." Asuma scoffed. He charged the man, bringing his knives to up into an uppercut slash. Zabuza blocked the strike, locking blades with the Sarutobi. The missing-nin kicked Asuma back, sending the jōnin flying. Asuma recovered and landed by the lake. Zabuza rushed him, and they locked blades again for a brief moment. Asuma backed off from the cleaver like sword and prepared hand signs.

"**Fūton: Kazeryūdan no Jutsu **(Wind Release: Wind Dragon Missile Technique)!" A large dragon made out of air roared into existence. Zabuza flew through his own hand signs

"**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu **(Water Release: Water Dragon Missile Technique)!" Another dragon, this time made out of water, rose from the lake and formed behind Zabuza. The two shinobi sent their dragon's forward, the great beasts of nature clashing and biting. The two jutsu canceled out. The two shinobi charged each other once more, exchanging a flurry of blows. Stealthily, a second Zabuza rose from the lake, behind Asuma, and flew through hand signs. Asuma did not notice the clone, focusing too much on his fight with the original. The genin team realized to late that there was a clone of the missing-nin.

"ASUMA, BEHIND YOU!" They called out, but it was too late. The clones thrust his hand out and Asuma was trapped in a sphere of water. Zabuza laughed at his victory.

"Good try, but not good enough." Zabuza approached the struggling form of Asuma. "I think it's about time that I get my blade fixed." With that, Zabuza stabbed Asuma in the leg, the jōnin letting out a cry of pain. As the sword was pulled from his leg, water covered his wound, preventing it from bleeding. "I wouldn't want you to die, my friend. Not until I kill that bridge builder." Everyone stared on as Zabuza's sword soaked up Asuma's blood, and began regenerating it's top half.

"How is that possible?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "No blade should be able to do that!" Zabuza let out a small chuckle.

"None except mine, little samurai." Zabuza answered. He held his sword in front of him, the blade still regenerating. "This is Kubikiribōchō, one of the seven swords of Kirigakure. This blade feeds on the blood of my enemies, and any damage done to this sword will regenerate, from the smallest scratch, to it being sliced like it just was!" As he finished, so did Kubikiribōchō's regeneration. The blade was now back to its full length. "Now hand over the bridge builder or else!"

"Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino! Take Tazuna and run away from here, quickly!" Asuma yelled from his bubble. Naruto stood his ground, and so did his friends.

"We're not going anywhere, Asuma-sensei. Not without you!" Naruto made a hand sign. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" suddenly, twenty Narutos appeared along side the original. With a roar, Naruto and his clones rushed at the swordsman. "Shikamaru, Ino, find someway to free Asuma-sensei! I'll deal with Zabuza!"

Zabuza smiled and made his own hand sign. "**Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu.**" Ten more Zabuza's arose from the lake. Zabuza and his clones charged as well. The two forces met with a clang of blades, engaging in a battle on the massive scale. A Naruto clone puffed out of existence, followed by another, then a Zabuza clone splashed to the ground as water. As this was going on, Shikamaru was formulating a plan.

'_We gotta get Asuma-sensei out of there so he can help Naruto. But he's on the other side of the battlefield. Maybe if Ino could use Shintenshin - no, then I'll have to protect Tazuna _and _Ino's body. Wait, that's it!" _

"Ino, watch Tazuna! I'm going to free Asuma!" With that, Shikamaru ran off into the brush. Ino stood on guard, slightly worrying.

'_Whatever you're gonna do Shikamaru, it better be fast. I don't think Naruto can hold Zabuza for much longer.'_

The battle was still raging, though there were six shadow clones and three water clones left, as well as the originals. Speaking of which, shinobi and samurai were engaged in a very intense battle. Naruto thrusted at Zabuza, who caught the blade in the top hole of Kubikiribōchō. He swung the great blade at Naruto, but the samurai jumped on top of the sword and swung downwards. Zabuza flipped his blade, knocking Naruto off, and thrusted the hilt into the boy's stomach. Naruto grunted in pain, but landed on his feet. Naruto rushed the man once more, and managed to cut the man's left arm, creating a long gash, before getting hit in the back with the blunt end of the blade, getting sent into the air. He tumbled for a bit, but got back on his feet and skidded to a stop. He quickly brought up Kitsune no Kōkatsu, barely blocking a downward swing. Naruto grunted as he felt Zabuza press Kubikiribōchō down on him, his arms shaking trying to hold the great blade back. Zabuza let out a small chuckle.

"For a kid, you're not bad. Such a shame that you're going to die. All that potential, wasted!" Naruto grunted and planted a foot in Zabuza's gut, breaking the engagement. Naruto resheathed his blade, causing Zabuza to grow nervous. He knew first hand of the lethality of Iaijutsu, and did not desire to be sliced in half. The two were at a standstill, waiting for the other to make a move. Zabuza could not cast any jutsu lest he leave himself vulnerable, and Naruto would not be able attack without losing his advantage. All was silent, everyone to nervous to say anything.

Zabuza made the first move, charging forward with a battle cry. Naruto braced himself. Suddenly, Zabuza swung in a circle and threw the blade of his sword, the hilt detaching with a snap. Naruto's eyes widened at the oncoming projectile.

"**Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson**!" Naruto quickly drew his sword and resheathed it. The blade of Kubikiribōchō split in half, and harmlessly flew past him. Having focused on the blade, Naruto lost track of Zabuza. Suddenly, a deep pain filled Naruto's chest. Naruto looked down. One of the blade halves had been lodged in his chest, piercing his steel armor with ease. Naruto could only stare in shock. He looked behind him. Zabuza was there, staring at him, a mournful look in his eyes.

"Sorry kid, nothing personal. Just business." Naruto collapsed to his knees, blood pooling around him. He heard screaming, but he couldn't turn his head back to see who it was.

"Naruto! NARUTO!" Naruto fell to the ground, slipping into blackness.

* * *

Shikamaru was finally in position. The clone ahead of him was watching the battle in entertainment. Shikamaru made a hand sign. "**Kagemane no Jutsu**." His shadow quickly lanced forward into the clones. The clone stiffened. Shikamaru grinned, his plan had worked. He made a gesture to grab an imaginary sword behind his back, the clone copying him. He himself grasped nothing but air, but the clone grabbed his copy of Kubikiribōchō. Shikamaru forced the clone to lift the blade and hold it at his gut. With a quick thrust into his stomach, the Nara heard a satisfying splash as the clone dissolved, dropping Asuma into the water as well. Asuma resurfaced and swam back towards Shikamaru. The Nara helped his sensei out of the lake and took off the bandages on his own leg and wrapped it around Asuma's wound.

"Are you alright Asuma? Can you walk?" Shikamaru asked the man. Asuma nodded, smiling at his student.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a flesh wound. It hurts like a bitch, but I can power through it. Just give me a minute to catch my breathe."

It was then they heard Ino screaming. "Naruto! NARUTO!" The two shinobi turned their heads to the battle. It was just the originals left, but Zabuza was standing over the fallen form of Naruto. Their eyes widened.

"Oh no." Asuma whispered. He saw Ino run from Tazuna and to Naruto's body. He quickly puffed into smoke, replaced with the shocked form of Tazuna.

"Naruto... No... NO!" Shikamaru grit his teeth in angst and frustration. He slammed his fist into the ground, tears freely falling from his eyes.

* * *

"Naruto! NARUTO!" Ino screamed. She watched as Zabuza walked to his fallen body and reattach the hilt to the blade. He pulled it from Naruto's body, hefting the regenerating blade to his shoulder. She rushed towards the fallen form of her friend, her love, forgetting about Tazuna and ignoring Zabuza's looming form.

"No, Naruto, wake up! Please, you're not dead, you can't be dead! Please, get up!" Ino shook Naruto's body in a vain attempt to bring him back to life. Tears were falling from her face, and she hugged the boy close. Zabuza watched this in slight guilt.

"I know this doesn't mean much, coming from me, but he was an honorable opponent. I have only wished that I did not have to end his life at such a young age." Ino didn't even hear him. With that, Zabuza turned to complete his mission. However, as he turned, he was stabbed through the gut. He stared into the eyes of a wet and furious Asuma, before getting punched in the face. Zabuza stumbled back, covering the newly formed hole in his belly.

"You, YOU BASTARD!" Asuma charged at Zabuza, intent on killing the man and return home. So much shit had happened in the last few hours, and now this? He didn't care anymore if Tazuna was crucified and burned, he was turning back. But not without this bastard's head. Suddenly, Zabuza stiffened up, two senbon needles lodged into his neck. The missing collapsed, dead. Asuma looked into the direction of which the needles were thrown, and saw a hunter-nin, their arm extended. Black hair framed a white mask with a red design coming from the bottom of it. They jumped down from the branch, next to Zabuza's body.

"I thank you for assisting in the death of Momochi Zabuza, I have been tracking him for several months now." The hunter-nin saw the enraged expression on Asuma's face, and turned around to the sobbing form of Ino over Naruto's body. "I am extremely sorry for your loss. I wish I had gotten here sooner." The hunter-nin hefted Zabuza over their shoulder and left, leaving a grief stricken team to mourn their loss. Shikamaru approached his team with Tazuna following behind him. He collapsed to his knees at Naruto's body, silently sobbing with his fists clenched. Tazuna watched as the genin mourned their friend, and approached Asuma.

"I understand if you wish to leave-"

"No." Tazuna did a double take. What?

"What do you mean?" He asked Asuma, the man's dead eyes weeping for his student, whom he failed to protect.

"I mean, we are not leaving yet. That hunter-nin back there wasn't actually a hunter-nin. If they were, they would have just taken the head. Zabuza is still alive and I'll be damned if he lives while I'm still kicking."

"My house is not far from here. My family can provide you shelter and food while you fulfill you mission." Asuma glared at Tazuna.

"Let me be clear. I'm staying only so that I may see Zabuza dead, not because of this mission gone to shit. I'm only sticking around you because you're his target, and that's my best chance at finding him now." Asuma pushed passed Tazuna and carefully picked up Naruto's body, holding the boy close. His students flanked him, tears still dripping down their faces. They followed Tazuna to his home, still sniffling here and then. All of them were not looking forward to telling their friends and family about Naruto's death.

* * *

"... Am I dead?" Naruto asked himself as he traversed a meadow. He remembered the sword in his chest, the pain and blood forever etched into his mind. Then he fainted and then woke up here. He started mindlessly traversing the meadow, and then came upon a giant orange fox, who stared at the boy in an amused manner. "Am I dead, Kitsune-san?" He asked the great fox.

"**No boy, I have seen to your wounds, and you are healing as we speak."** The fox's voice boomed over the landscape, though Naruto stood there unaffected.

"Then where am I?"

"**You are in your subconscious, which I must thank you for making it so beautiful."**

"If this is my mind, then who are you, Kitsune-san?" The fox grinned at his question.

"**I am the Kyūbi no Yoko. It is a pleasure to finally meet my warden." **If Naruto was surprised, then he did not show it.

"It is also nice to meet you, Kyūbi-san." Naruto replied with a bow. Kyūbi stared at the boy in curiosity.

"**Are you not fearful of me, Naruto? Many who hear my name tremble before they even see me."** Naruto shook his head.

"Everyone who fears you do not know you, Kyūbi-san. I wish to get to know you first before I judge you. Everyone, even demons, deserves that chance." Kyūbi stared at Naruto for a moment, examining the boy.

"**I must admit, you surprise me with your words. But know that most of what people say of me is true. I am a malevolent spirit, drawn to hate and sorrow." **Naruto met the Kyūbi's gaze confidently.

"But I'm sure that that is not all you are. I'm sure that at one point in time, you were not like that, Kyūbi-san. You will not deter me from my goal." The two just stared at each other, exchanging a battle of wills. Kyūbi relented, and gave a large sigh.

"**If that is your wish, then you are free to pursue it. But that will be for another time. You are waking up Naruto." **Naruto noticed the world around him started to fade into black. He gave the Kyūbi a smile.

"Then I will talk to you later, Kyūbi-san. I promise you that." The great fox, too, began to fade.

**"I will hold you to that Kit."**

* * *

Naruto awoke with a start. He looked down at himself. The hole the sword made in his armor was still there, but the flesh beneath had reformed, not even leaving a scar. He was lying on the ground, outside of a house. He heard sobbing from his right. Naruto turned his head and saw Ino, her hands in her face, weeping. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't listen. So he spoke, in a hushed tone.

"Hey, Ino-chan. Don't cry." Ino's crying stopped as she slowly lifted her head. She stared at him in shock.

"N-Naruto?" She asked, her voice hoarse from her sobbing. She moved closer to him, and unstrapped his helmet, allowing blond locks to fall. Naruto's eyes were staring at her as he gave her his signature grin.

"It's good to see you again, Ino-chan." Ino's eyes began to well once more, but with tears of joy instead of sorrow. "Hey, why are you crying again, Ino-chan? I'm all right, don't you see." Ino hugged the boy close to her chest, determined to never let him leave her again.

* * *

_Next time on Return to Prominence_

"_No way, you're lying!" Naruto told the girl. Haku giggled as she nodded._

"_No, I really am a boy!" Haku insisted._

"_Then prove it!" Naruto demanded. Haku blushed lightly._

"_A-And how would I do that, Naruto-san?" Naruto came in close. Haku's blush grew more fierce._

"_Like this, Haku-san." Naruto's lips met hers, shocking the girl into silence._

* * *

A/N: And that that's a wrap for the chapter. Oh good god, I tried to finish this before my spring break ended, and it is now 4:17 a.m.. School starts in about two hours. I'm gonna go to bed.

1\. "Shiroi Ryū noYuki" "White Dragon of Snow"

2\. "Kuso" "Damn it"

3\. Bushi was the term used to describe samurai before the term was coined.

If you liked it, please leave a review. If you have any criticisms or questions, please also leave a review or PM me.


	4. True Love Emerges! Two-Timer Naruto?

AN: Hey guys, what's up? Sorry it took a bit, but like I said before, spring is over and school is back in session. Anyway, We've almost hit the 100 fave mark! That's so awesome! This story has only been out a little over a week, so I'm really proud!

**Erazor djinn**: Thank you! I'll try to update every week, but I won't promise anything. Promises are bad lol.

**Aluriea**: I'm glad you like the story! In response to your oil and water comparison, I would compare Naruto to soap. He is going to be the component which will combine the two.

**Belligerent King**: I thank you for your compliments! I worked very hard on this story, so I'm glad for this kind of feedback!

**kooloowarrior**: I'm basing this on actual samurai conduct, not the one in the anime. However, if I ever get my facts wrong, please do tell me about it!

**Avenger13579**: Thanks! The concept comes form all the other samurai! Naruto stories on the site, so its due to them I came up with this idea.

**SNake57575**: That would be the case, wouldn't it. Shion even offered to have his kids, and he still didn't get it!

* * *

Ino laid Naruto's head in her lap, running her hands through his hair. She was so happy, so very happy, to see him alive and well. She turned her head to the house and cried out.

"Shikamaru, Asuma! Get out here quick!" Her throat burned with the yell, but she didn't care. The rest of the team had to know that Naruto was alive. Shikamaru was the first to rush out, soon followed by Asuma. They stared in shock at the boy, who had his head turned to them, a small smile on his face.

"Hey guys. I'm okay." Naruto tried to raise his voice, but he couldn't find the strength to do so. It came out hushed, but they heard him clear as day. Shikamaru rushed to Naruto and embraced him, the tears he had stemmed just moments before coming back full force. Asuma could only stare at the boy, stared in both relief and wonderment. Naruto had been dead, there was no way anyone could have had a blade as large as Kubikiribōchō stabbed through their chest and survive. Asuma's expression hardened once he realized what had saved the boy from death's door.

'_The Kyūbi.' _Asuma could only think of one reason for the fox healing Naruto, and it was for self-preservation. Still, he was amazed at the power of the Kyūbi's chakra, to be able to bring a man back from the brink of death was nothing short of extraordinary.

"How are you feeling Naruto?" Asuma asked. Naruto looked at his sensei, and gave a reassuring grin.

"I'm fine sensei. I'm just really tired." Naruto replied weakly. Despite having just woken up, he felt as if he hasn't slept for days. Asuma nodded and picked the boy up and brought him inside, closely followed by Ino and Shikamaru. The jōnin took the boy to the upper floor of the house, to a spare room that was to be shared by Shikamaru and Asuma. Before entering the room, Asuma turned to his students.

"Stay out here for now guys. I need to perform an evaluation of Naruto's health, and I can't have any distractions." Ino and Shikamaru nodded their heads in understanding. Asuma entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Asuma laid Naruto down on a bed, stripping his student of his armor and placing it all to the side. Naruto was telling the truth, his body was completely unmarred of any injury. Naruto glanced at Asuma's leg, still bandaged and slightly red.

"How's the leg, Asuma-sensei?" Naruto asked. Asuma glanced down at it. To be honest, he almost forgot he was stabbed, being too distracted by everything else that happened today. Now that it has been brought back up, though, he could feel the painful aches and throbbing of the wound.

"I haven't really thought about it. I've been too concerned about everything else going on today." Naruto frowned.

"You shouldn't be up either Asuma-sensei. You should be resting that leg." The boy stated in a worried tone. Asuma sighed, and took a seat by his student.

"I know, Naruto, but there's so much yet to do." His eyes narrowed. "I still need to hunt Zabuza down for what he almost did." Naruto placed a hand on his sensei's lap.

"Asuma-sensei, Zabuza-san did what he had to do for his own mission. He told me it was "nothing personal, just business." I don't hold it against him, and neither should you." Asuma turned a sharp gaze to Naruto.

"It's not that simple Naruto! He almost killed you! You're my student, and had it not been-" Asuma caught himself. Naruto met his teacher's gaze

"Had it not been for the Kyūbi, I would have actually died." Naruto finished his teacher's sentence in a low tone. Asuma's gaze softened.

"So you know then. Had it been anyone else, Naruto, they would have died. It's just," Asuma paused, trying to think of the words. "I would have never forgiven myself if you had died, Naruto. And taking out my anger on the one who killed you, the one who almost killed you, seemed like the easiest way to relieve myself of that guilt." Naruto's frown deepened.

"Asuma-sensei, vengeance is not something one should pursue so easily. It changes people, fills them with hate and scorn, makes them into completely different people. I don't want that to happen, especially to my precious people." Asuma stared at the boy in quiet shock. How could this boy forgive people so easily?

"Why do you think that Naruto?" Asuma asked. "How is it that you can so easily forgive people for what they have done to you? How can you not hold a grudge?" Naruto sighed.

"It's not that I forgive people easily, Asuma-sensei. If someone murdered my precious people in cold blood, I would hunt them down and bring them to justice. However, if one of my comrades is struck down in the line of duty, I know that their killer was doing their own duty to their country. I know that there is a very thin line between justice and vengeance, but I know the difference between the two."

"And what is that, Naruto?"

"Understanding." Naruto replied smoothly. "Vengeance does not care about understanding the reasons for someone's actions. Justice, however, does. Vengeance is served with a bias, where as Justice is served in neutrality. Justice gives the accused a chance to defend themselves, where as Vengeance allows no such thing."

"And where did you learn this Naruto?" Asuma asked in genuine curiosity. Where had Naruto gained such insight from? Naruto looked down, remembering fond memories.

"I learned from my adopted father, Hitsugaya Kisuke. He is the one who taught me the way of the samurai, and over saw my training for most of my life. Most of everything I know comes from him." Naruto smiled at the thought of his father. He missed him so much. He turned back to Asuma.

"So what's the plan, Asuma-sensei?" Asuma stared blankly at Naruto for a second, the thought suddenly coming to the forefront. With Naruto's untimely "demise" he had only wanted to stay long enough to kill Zabuza, and then leave. Now he was conflicted as to whether to abandon the mission or complete it. Naruto grew worried at the Sarutobi's silence.

"We _are_ continuing the mission, right sensei?" Naruto asked. Asuma sighed.

"I... I don't know Naruto. With all that has happened, I honestly think we should turn back."

"But we can't abandon our first C-rank Asuma-sensei!" Naruto protested. "We were caught off guard last time, that was all! Now that we know what we are up against, we know how to defeat them, 'ttebayo!" Asuma grunted as he lifted himself up.

"We will see, Naruto. If you can convince your teammates to continue, then we shall. Otherwise, we will be heading back to Konoha." With that, Asuma left the room with a small limp in his step. Naruto laid back down on the bed and groaned. He laid there for a few minutes, just thinking of how close he came to death. He really must thank Kyūbi for healing him the next time he meets the fox. Naruto heard the door open again, and turned his head to see who it was. It was Ino and Shikamaru.

"How are you feeling Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"I feel like I haven't slept for days. It's so hard to move my limbs." Naruto admitted. Ino came up and hugged him.

"I'm sorry we couldn't protect you Naruto-kun. I wish we were able to help more back there." Ino said in a low tone. Naruto weakly wrapped an arm around her.

"It's fine Ino. Everything's going to be all right."

"No it's not!" Ino yelled. "We barely did anything Naruto! Shikamaru freed Asuma, but I just watched as you were impaled by Zabuza! I was too weak to do anything!" Ino started crying again, ashamed of her incapability to help. Naruto rubbed small circles into her back, trying to comfort her.

"Ino, you were there to protect Tazuna-san. That was your job. I just wasn't careful enough, so my loss was my own fault." Naruto cooed. Shikamaru groaned and sat at the foot of the bed.

"We still should have done something more, Naruto. I should have tried to help you bind Zabuza. I had a technique that would have worked, but I was too panicked to think about anything but freeing Asuma." Tears welled in his eyes once more, and he grit his teeth. "I'm sorry for failing you Naruto!"

"You didn't fail me Shikamaru. We fought a jōnin, someone way out of our league, on our first mission out of the village nonetheless. We just weren't prepared, and we made some mistakes. But if we learn from our mistakes, then we will become stronger for it." Naruto reassured his friend. They all sat there for a moment, venting their emotions and bonding with each other.

"So what are your thoughts about the mission guys?" Naruto asked. Both of his teammates grew silent, contemplative looks on their expression.

"The logical choice would be to head back." Shikamaru answered. "But, knowing you, you would want to stay and see this troublesome thing through." The Nara sighed in slight exasperation, but had a smile on his face. "Well, the logical choice is not always the most interesting one. I'm in."

Ino nodded in agreement. "I'm in too. As long as we work together, we can accomplish anything!" Several large growls erupted in the room, making the occupants blush in embarrassment. Naruto rubbed the back of his head, a shy smile on his face.

"So, uh, when do we eat?"

* * *

The team minus Naruto met downstairs for dinner with Tazuna's family. There, they met Tazuna's daughter Tsunami and his grandson Inari. Tsunami seemed like a a polite and pleasant woman, but Inari had a melancholic attitude. He was quiet throughout the entirety of the meal, never looking at anything but his food or his family. It somewhat unnerved the genin of Team Asuma. Tsunami placed on assortment of food on a plate and gave it to Asuma.

"This is for the boy who is resting upstairs. He must be hungry." Tsunami said with a caring smile. Asuma handed the plate to Ino.

"Ino, go upstairs and give Naruto his food. I want to make sure he is up and about by tomorrow." Ino nodded and took the plate, hastily making her way back upstairs. She knocked on the door before peering inside, seeing Naruto lying still on the bed, his eyes open.

"Naruto-kun, I have your food." Ino said as she approached him. Naruto sat up and smiled at Ino.

"Thank you Ino-chan." He reached out to grab the plate, but Ino held it back. He stared indignantly at her. "I can feed myself, Ino-chan." Ino shook her head as she sat next to him.

"No. You need to rest Naruto, so I'll feed you." She picked up a bit of rice and held it to Naruto's mouth. "Now open wide." Naruto stared at the chunk of rice in front of his face. Ino pouted at Naruto. "Come on Naruto, don't be stubborn!" Naruto sighed as he relented, closing his mouth around the morsel. Ino hummed in satisfaction as she picked up some fish next. This continued until the plate was empty. Ino set the empty plate aside and examined Naruto. He only had some boxers on, allowing her to see his toned chest. She placed a hand on his sternum, where the sword had pierced him, Not so much as a scare remained, the skin perfectly unblemished.

It was not the first time she saw him shirtless. He had taken off his haori multiple times during training, the sheer intensity had him coated in sweat by the time he was done. Ino's hand moved lower, to his abs. It wasn't quite a six-pack, but it was firm. She remembered Naruto always pushed himself with his warm-ups. One-hundred crunches and push-ups, fifty squats, and twenty laps around the training ground. Naruto was so fit for a twelve-year old. He had not even stopped growing yet! Ino blushed at the thought of an older, super-model Naruto.

"Ino-chan?" Naruto's voice knocked Ino out of her dream-like state. "Are you okay? You kind of zoned out a little bit there." Ino blushed harder at being caught. She stuttered out a response, looking away as she did so.

"Y-yeah, Naruto-kun. I-I was just thinking about how well you've healed." Naruto looked down at himself. The Kyūbi's chakra sure did wonders. As he looked up at Ino, a thought suddenly came to mind, making him blush. He still remembered his experimentation with his clone. That one moment of lip lock was actually pretty good, but the kiss on the cheek, when compared to the original, was kinda sub-par. So, by that logic...

"H-Hey, Ino-chan?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun?" Ino replied, but did not meet his gaze.

"Remember the day before we left for this mission? When you kissed me on the cheek?" Ino blushed harder at that. Oh yeah, she remembered.

"Y-Yeah."

"D-Do you think we could try that once more, o-on the lips?" Naruto asked shyly. Ino's back straightened. Oh Kami, he was asking if she could kiss him again! And on the lips too!

"I-I... Um..." Ino sputtered.

"I-I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to!" Naruto quickly assured her. "I was just curious."

"No, I want to!" Ino blurted out. Naruto stared at her in surprise. Ino shied away from his gaze. "I mean, no- wait yes!" She threw her hands into the air. "Argh! Why is this so difficult?!" She screamed in frustration.

"S-So you do want to?" Naruto asked in confirmation. Ino's face was as red as a tomato, but she nodded in affirmative. Naruto's cheeks grew scarlet. "A-All right then."

The two blondes faced each other, both blushing heavily. They inched closer to each other, staring into the other's eyes as they leaned forward. Before they made contact, both broke out in a fit of giggles at the awkwardness of the kiss attempt.

"Heheh, we're so bad at this." Ino giggled. Kami, where had all her confidence gone?

"Hahaha, yeah." Naruto admitted with a chuckle. Both waited for the laughter to subside, and then tried once more. Both closed their eyes and leaned forward. Lips made contact, and sparks flew. Their confidence soaring, the two embraced each other. Ino remembered something she read in a romance novel, and licked Naruto's lips, asking for entry. Naruto obliged and opened, their tongues lashing out at each other. The two fought for dominance for what seemed like hours, but was only few minutes. The two broke apart, gasping for air, a thin string of saliva still connecting the two. Ino spoke first, panting in between words.

"That... Was..."

"Amazing." Naruto finished breathlessly. Screw that clone moment, this was so much better! The two moved to reengage, but were interrupted by the door opening.

"Hey Ino, what's taking you so-" Shikamaru was silenced by the scene before him. The blondes stared at Shikamaru, who stared back at them. They stood there for a moment, silence prevailing over the awkwardness of the situation. Shikamaru slowly backed up, closing the door just as slowly as he retreated. When the door clicked into place, Ino and Naruto could hear the Nara's feet quickly running away from the room. The blondes let out a breathe they hadn't known they were holding.

"Let's make sure the door is locked next time." Ino said. Naruto nodded in agreement before seizing her lips once more.

* * *

"So, uh, why did you want to switch rooms with Ino again?" Asuma asked his slightly agitated student.

"It's because Ino could do a much better job at taking care of Naruto than I ever could." Shikamaru replied.

"But wouldn't they mind when sharing a room with-"

"Trust me. They wouldn't mind at all." Shikamaru cupped his hands over his mouth. "Ino, I'm taking your room!"

"Okay!" Came her response.

* * *

Naruto awoke the next morning with Ino resting on his chest, her hair let down and in her night clothes. He felt much better than yesterday, and was itching to get up and stretch. But he would wait until Ino woke up first. Naruto looked down and played with the her hair, the platinum blonde tresses feeling silky and soft. A few minutes passed before Ino stirred, trying vainly to rest some more. She dug her head into Naruto's chest, attempting unsuccessfully to force herself asleep. Naruto let out a small laugh and rubbed her back.

"Ino-chan. It's time to get up." Ino groaned, but raised her head, her hair in a mess and a tired look on her face. She yawned in his face, letting him face the full brunt of her morning breathe before lifting herself off his body, rubbing her eye as she did so.

"What time is it?" Ino asked as she stretched. Naruto looked out the window. The sun was just rising over the horizon.

"About seven o'clock." He answered. Ino pouted at him.

"You couldn't let me sleep for another hour Naruto-kun?" Naruto smiled at her.

'I'm sorry Ino-chan, but I wanted to get up and move around." Ino slumped against him once more.

"How are you feeling, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm feeling great, much better than yesterday." Naruto raised himself upright, stretching his arms with a groan. Ino got off him and the bed and the picked up a scroll. From it she unsealed a set of clothes, a towel, a toothbrush, lotion, and a shampoo bottle.

"I'm going to go take a shower." She said as she left the room. Naruto got off the bed as well and stretched the rest of his body.

"Might as well work out while I wait." Naruto walked up to the ceiling of the room and began to squats. Ever since he found out how to use chakra to stick to surfaces, Naruto began to incorporate it into his training so he could get the most out of the exercise. Not only was it helping him make his workout sessions more difficult, it was also increasing his chakra control.

One.

Two.

Three.

* * *

One-hundred ninety.

'_What's taking Ino so long?' _Naruto thought. Do girls usually take this long to bathe?

One ninety-one.

'_It feels so good to be able to move around again. That weak feeling I had yesterday was the worse.'_

One ninety-two.

'_I have to get stronger, so that will never happen again.'_

One ninety-three.

'_I never want to see my precious people cry because of me, ever'_

Ino walked back into the room, humming to herself. "I'm done Naruto-kun!" She called out, not noticing him on the ceiling. Naruto dropped down to the floor, making a thump that startled Ino. "Naruto! Don't scare me like that!"

"I'm sorry Ino-chan." Naruto apologized, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "What took you so long?" Ino pouted at him.

"Don't you know how long it takes to properly moisturize and exfoliate?" She rebutted. Naruto only sighed in response. "That's what I thought." She noticed the thin coat of sweat covering his body. "You working out?"

"Yeah. Nearly got to two-hundred squats." Naruto grabbed his own bathroom necessities before heading towards the bathroom. When he entered, he locked the door and stripped. He entered the shower and let the water run over his being. Naruto sighed in relief as the water, still warm from Ino's session, washed the grime away from his body. He scrubbed until all the dirt was gone from his being, then exited the shower. Naruto dried himself, wringing the water from his hair then pulled it into its ponytail. He quickly got dressed in his regular clothing after brushing his teeth, foregoing the hitai-ate for comfort purposes, then exited the bathroom. He went downstairs and saw the rest of his team waiting for him, as well Tazuna's family, food on the table. He noticed Asuma had a pair of crutches waiting by his side.

"Ah, Naruto, so nice of you to join us." Asuma said, patting to a seat next to him. Naruto sat down, looking at the woman ad boy next to Tazuna. The woman smiled at him.

"Hello, I'm Tsunami. I'm Tazuna's daughter" She gestured to the boy. "And this is my son, Inari." The boy glowered at him, an angry look in his eyes. Naruto bowed to her.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto. It it a pleasure to meet you and your family, Tsunami-san." He replied politely. "I would like to thank you for your hospitality." Tsunami waved off the compliment.

"Of course, Uzumaki-san. You are protecting my father, so the very least we could do is provide you with shelter and food."

Naruto turned to Asuma. "So what's the plan Asuma-sensei?"

"Well, Zabuza is not going to be active for at least a week. That stab wound I gave him was deep, something he won't be able to recover in just a few days. We won't have to worry about him until then. But my leg wound won't fully heal until the same time. That gives us a week to train for the upcoming battle." Asuma explained.

"But who will be guarding Tazuna-san in case one of Gatō's goons comes after him?"

"You three will be taking turns protecting Tazuna. Shikamaru is taking watch today, you tomorrow, then Ino the next and then the cycle repeats." Naruto nodded in understanding, and the group began to eat.

* * *

After the meal was done, Shikamaru and Tazuna headed out to the bridge while Ino and Naruto helped Tsunami clean up. Asuma was patiently waiting outside for his students to come once they were done. As they were cleaning up, Ino noticed a picture that was partially torn. She inspected it closer, noticing that it was a photo of Tsunami and Inari with a man, who's face was torn off.

"Tsunami-san, who's the man in this photo?" Ino asked. Tsunami's normal smile was replaced with a sorrowful frown. The woman replied, although hesitantly.

"That... His name is Kaiza. _Was_ Kaiza." She replied in a sad tone. Naruto joined the conversation.

"Was? What happened to him?" He asked. Tsunami sighed, suddenly feeling twice her age.

"When Gatō first began his takeover of Nami, Kaiza stood up to him, tried to rally support against him." Tears began to fall from her face. "He was murdered by Gatō, to be made an example of, to crush any opposition to Gatō's rule." Inari rushed out of the kitchen and up stairs.

"Just what was Kaiza to you guys?" Naruto inquired. "He must have been really close if his death elicits that sort of reaction from Inari." Tsunami turned her gaze downward.

"He was like Inari's father. His biological father had died before he was born, but Kaiza stepped in and filled the gap. He made our family immensely happy while he was alive, but his death changed Inari. He's so pessimistic and hopeless, and much more angry than he was before. Just the mere mention of Kaiza make him incredibly upset."

"I'm so sorry for your loss." Ino said. Naruto nodded in agreement. Tsunami tried to give them a smile, but it only made her seem forlorn.

"It's fine. I'm mostly over Kaiza's death." She lied. It still troubled her greatly, but she tried to put on her same caring face for her son and father. "Well, I thank you for helping me, but I believe your sensei is waiting for you. I can clean up the rest." She wanted to be alone with her thoughts for a little bit.

"Are you sure Tsunami-san? Asuma-sensei will not mind-"

"It's fine. Now go, please." Tsunami cut Naruto off a bit forcefully. She had not meant to come off as mean, but she was emotional right now and she did not want to cry in front of strangers. Naruto nodded and left the house with Ino close behind.

* * *

Zabuza could only stare at the ceiling with boredom. He should have been on guard, taking that stab was complete carelessness on his part. But he couldn't help but feel saddened at the samurai boy's death. He blamed it on his own soft spot for children. That boy was strong, he would give him that.

"Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked her master in worry. Zabuza turned to his apprentice.

"I'm fine Haku. I'm just thinking about that samurai boy." What was his name again? That girl screamed it but he couldn't remember. Niteru? No, that wasn't it. Oh well, no use in wondering about a dead man's name.

"He was rather skillful, that samurai." Haku said. She observed the fight between the boy and her master, and had to admit the boy put up a decent fight considering the circumstances.

"Where are Gōzu and Meizu?" Zabuza asked. Two shadows jumped down from the ceiling.

"We are right here, Zabuza-sama." Gōzu replied. Zabuza had sent Haku to retrieve the brothers after hearing of their capture. Zabuza was never one to forget his subordinates.

"What can you tell me of the team you encountered?" He asked. He knew they were still there, if for nothing else than to get revenge.

"They have a Nara and a Yamanaka, and the jōnin is Sarutobi Asuma, a former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja." Meizu replied. He was still a bit peeved about how easily green genin caught him off guard and beat him so easily.

"Haku, when do you think I can start fighting again?"

"Not for a good week at least, Zabuza-sama. If you try to fight as you are now, the wound would hamper you and scar, forever doing so for the rest of your career."

"Zabuza!" A voice shouted from the shadows. A short man, fat man emerged along with two mercenaries. "What do you think I'm paying you for? Certainly not to be beaten by a group of brats!"

"These "brats" are stronger than those two sellswords you have there, Gatō." Zabuza replied with slight agitation. Kami, dealing with this man grated on his nerves. Gatō scoffed.

"You really think they could defeat my bodyguards? They're samurai you know!"

"Them? Samurai? One of the brats I killed was a true samurai. To call your goons samurai is a disgrace to the name." Zabuza mocked. That one boy showed more honor in that single fight then these two men have in their entire lives. Gatō fumed.

"I'm not paying you to be a smart-ass! Your job is to kill that damned bridge builder!" Gatō approached the swordsman's prone form. "Look at you! So damn pathetic. I could kill you know if I wanted to." Gatō reached forward to place his hand on the missing-nin's neck, but was tightly gripped around the wrist by Haku.

"Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on Zabuza-sama!" Gatō wrenched his now broken wrist back from Haku.

"Gah! You little bastard, you broke my wrist!" Gatō's guards tried to approach, but where held back at claw point by the Demon Brothers. Gatō rushed back in slight apprehension and tried to put on a face of anger. "Just get it done! If you fail me again, you'll wish hadn't." With that, Gatō and his escort left Zabuza's hideout.

Zabuza sighed in relief once the man left. "The little shit. He doesn't realize how close to death he just came to." He turned his head back upwards. "Haku, go out and find some herbs. Gōzu, Meizu, watch Gatō and report back if he tries to betray us." The group of shinobi nodded and quickly left to follow their orders.

* * *

"Asuma-sensei, what should we do?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I actually wanted to teach you how to manipulate wind chakra. Ino, on the other hand, will be increasing her stamina and chakra control." Asuma answered. Ino pouted at him.

"Mou, why does Naruto-kun get to learn cool stuff while I have to run around in circles?" Asuma sighed.

"I'm sorry Ino, but like I said before, I can't teach you water or earth manipulation. If I could, I would teach you too. But as it is, the most I can do is help you with your physical abilities." He pointed Ino to the lake around the house. "You will be running around the entire perimeter until I say to stop." Ino groaned, but slowly walked to her assignment. "Come on, Naruto. We're gonna need to head to the forest for a bit."

The two walked to the forest edge, still insight of Ino. Asuma reached up and plucked two leaves off the branch of a tree. He handed one to Naruto.

"All right, listen closely Naruto. To manipulate wind chakra, you have to have adept control over shape manipulation. From what I saw with your chakra coating your sword, I assume you already have it down, ne?" Naruto nodded in confirmation. "Next, I want you to try to cut this leaf with only your chakra," Asuma held his leaf in front of Naruto, which was then promptly cut in half. "Like so."

"All right." Naruto tried focusing his chakra into a sharp edge, only to nick the side of the leaf. "Ugh. This is harder than you make it out to be." Asuma stared at Naruto for a moment, coming to a sudden realization.

"Naruto, you know the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu as well, yes?" Asuma asked. Naruto nodded.

"Hai. Hokage-sama gave me a scroll explaining all the details about it."

"Then you know that anything your clone learns or experiences, it transfers back to you after they dispel." Naruto gasped in shock.

"That's right! That means I can cut down on my training time by however many clones I make to work on it!" Asuma nodded in confirmation. Naruto immediately formed the hand sign. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" One hundred Narutos puffed into existence. Already knowing their purpose, the Naruto clones plucked leaves from several trees and got to work. Asuma nodded in satisfaction before turning around to check Ino's progress.

"Hey Ino! Don't think I can't see you walking! Get moving or I'll have Naruto throw rocks at you!" Asuma shouted.

"Naruto-kun loves me too much to do that!" She replied. Naruto frowned at his sensei.

"Don't threaten her, bribe her instead. It works several times better." Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth. "Ino-chan! If you work really hard, I'll take you shopping when we get back home!"

"... Are you paying?" She asked. Naruto grimaced. His wallet would become several times lighter, but the end result was worth it.

"Yes! But only if you work as hard as you can!" The two males could see Ino pick up her pace.

"Anything for you Naruto-kun!" She called back. Asuma looked at Naruto, giving him an awed stare.

"You sure have a way with words Naruto." Naruto shook his head at his sensei.

"Please. If you've been around Ino for long enough, you'd know that she loves shopping." Naruto went back to his training. After a few minutes, Naruto heard one of his clones rush up to him.

"Boss! I've got it down!" The clone said excitedly. Naruto looked on as the clone grabbed another leaf and split it down the middle. Naruto grinned at the clone.

"Good job me!" He congratulated. Naruto then dispelled all of the clones, creating a large cloud of smoke. Asuma heard the loud pop behind him and turned to see a grinning Naruto. Naruto grabbed a fallen leaf and split it with ease. Asuma smiled at him.

"Good work Naruto. Now we can get to the fun part." Asuma pulled out two shuriken from his pouch. "Watch closely Naruto." Asuma threw one shuriken into a far away tree, sticking into it by a point. Asuma threw the other shuriken at the same tree, but this time clapped his hands together. "**Fūton: Reppūshō** (Wind Release: Gale Palm)!" A sudden rush of air propelled the shuriken, launching several times faster into the tree. When it impacted, only one point of the star was sticking out of the tree, the rest of it having buried itself into the trunk. Naruto looked on in awe.

"Wow! You'll be teaching me that?" Naruto asked in amazement. Asuma smirked.

"That's right. With this, you can fluctuate the air around you, allowing you to force air to propel projectiles forward at a much faster speed, or push away incoming missiles." Asuma clapped his hands together once more. "To do this, you have to expel your chakra as wind from your body. The hard part is controlling the force and direction of the wind." Asuma demonstrated, Naruto clearly seeing the air currents fluctuating around Asuma in whatever way he willed it. Naruto nodded before creating another clone, who equipped his bow and notched an arrow. Naruto clapped his hands together and nodded at his clone, who let the arrow loose.

"**Fūton: Reppūshō**!" A large jet of wind projected the arrow forward at sonic speed. When the arrow hit the tree, it went through it and the tree behind it, the arrow head coming out of the back of a third tree. Asuma and Naruto gaped at the sheer power of the technique, shocked into silence. Naruto and his clone broke out of their shock and danced about. "We are awesome dattebayo!"

'_Such power and control on his first attempt!_ Asuma thought. He coughed, turning the Narutos' attention to him once more. "Well then, it seems that you have already mastered this technique. That was all I had planned today, so you are free to do whatever." Asuma hobbled back to the dock to observe Ino. Naruto smiled and dispelled his clone. It was such a nice day, perfect for a forest stroll. Naruto headed further into the forest, exploring the beauties of nature.

* * *

As Naruto was wondering aimlessly about, he saw a girl about the same age as he was picking herbs. She wore a pink sleeveless-kimono with a red trim, with plum-colored swirls on it. Her hair was long and unbound, allowing beautiful black tresses to fall to her back. He carefully approached the girl, who had not yet noticed him. He stood a few feet away and coughed to get her attention. She jumped a bit and looked back, her hair framing her pretty face and her brown eyes staring at him with slight apprehension.

"Ah, I'm sorry for startling you like that. I have no ill intentions." The girl slowly stood up.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, her voice calm yet stern. Naruto met her gaze.

"I was just out for a walk. It seemed like a perfect day for one and I had nothing else to do." Naruto bowed to her and introduced himself. "I am Uzumaki Naruto." The girl hesitated slightly before doing the same.

"I am Yuki Haku." She replied in an equally polite manner. Haku examined Naruto, slightly blushing at how handsome he was. Naruto turned his gaze to her basket.

"What are you doing in the forest Haku-san?"

"I am picking herbs to make a salve for my friend. He was wounded in a fight." Haku explained without letting out too many details. She noticed the wakizashi by Naruto's side. "What is someone as young as you doing with a sword?"

"I am a samurai. I have come here with my teacher to train." Naruto replied. His Bushidō forced him to speak only truths. It didn't say he couldn't tell half truths.

"What could drag a samurai and his teacher all the way to wave country?" She asked in a slightly suspicious tone. This couldn't be the same samurai Zabuza-sama fought, could it? She examined him closer. No, it can't be. He wasn't wearing any form of hitai-ate.

"I've heard that the sushi served here in Nami no Kuni was excellent. " Naruto noticed how empty Haku's basket was. "Would you like some help picking herbs?"

Haku glanced down at her basket. She had been out here for about an hour and had found so little of the herbs she needed. "I would appreciate that, Uzumaki-san." Naruto flashed her a smile, causing her to blush slightly.

"Of course. The faster you get these herbs, the faster you will be able to help your friend. And please, call me Naruto, Yuki-san." Haku giggled at bit.

"And you may call me Haku, Naruto-san." Naruto immediately set to work helping Haku gather the proper herbs, the two trying to make small talk while collecting. "So, what are you training for, Naruto-san?" She asked him.

"What do you mean, Haku-san? I train to get stronger." "He replied as if it were obvious.

"Yes, I know that Naruto-san. But I meant for what reason are you getting stronger for?" She clarified. "Are you getting stronger for someone else? Or for yourself?"

"I'm getting stronger for my precious people, Haku-san." Haku nodded in satisfaction.

"Then you will definitely get stronger. Fighting for those you cherish is a noble goal."

"I'm glad you think so, Haku-san. My precious people recently became hurt because of me. I was too weak to protect them. I never want to fail my precious people again." Naruto said passionately. Haku hummed in approval.

"I understand what you mean Naruto-san. I never want to see my precious people hurt again either." Their conversation continued for another hour, ending when Haku's basket was filled to the brim with herbs. She bowed to Naruto. "Thank once again, Naruto-san." He returned the gesture.

"Of course Haku-san." Before she left, Naruto called out to her. "Haku-san?" She turned to face him.

"Yes Naruto-san?"

"Can I see you again?" Haku blushed at the boy's question. She was going to say no, but the words already left her mouth.

"Of course. Let's meet here tomorrow after dusk." Quickly realizing what she just said, her blush deepened and she made a hasty retreat. "Have a good evening, Naruto-san!" Haku called as she fled, basket in hand.

"You too Haku-san! I'll see you tomorrow!" Naruto called to her fading form. Naruto sighed as he made his way back to Tazuna's house. The sun had started to fall below the horizon. Hopefully, he would make it back in time before everyone would start to worry.

* * *

Naruto managed to make it back just as dinner was beginning. He took a seat next to Ino, who he had noticed looked dead tired. Besides that, dinner had gone on just like breakfast this morning. Tazuna was drinking some sake, Inari was his usual glum self, Shikamaru had a bored look on his face, and Asuma looked somewhat anxious to go outside to smoke. After they had finished eating, Shikamaru tapped Naruto on the shoulder.

"What is it Shikamaru?" Naruto asked the pineapple-haired boy.

"I'm bored. I've brought my shōgi set with me and I want to play against you."

"Of course Shikamaru." Naruto said as he got up. But he was suddenly grabbed by his left arm by Ino.

"Mou, I'm tired. I need Naruto-kun to be my pillow." Ino whined. Shikamaru grabbed the blonde's right arm.

"Just grab a regular pillow. I need my shōgi fix now." Shikamaru replied as he pulled Naruto to him. Ino pulled back.

"But I've never slept so well before in my life with Naruto-kun as my pillow!" Naruto was pulled to the right.

"Too bad. If I don't play shōgi now, I won't be able to go to sleep." Naruto was pulled to the left.

"But I need my beauty sleep!" To the right.

"I need to actually sleep!" To the left.

Then the right again.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

"Okay okay! I can do both! Just let go of my arms, it feels like you're tearing them off dattebayo!" Naruto yelled. After his friends released him, he created a clone. "Here, this clone will go with you to sate your fix while I go to bed with Ino-chan." He told Shikamaru. The Nara grabbed the clone's hand and lead him upstairs to his room. Ino jumped on Naruto's back.

"Carry me!" She ordered. Naruto sighed and brought her upstairs to the bathroom so she could wash up and get changed, him doing the same after Ino was done. All ready for the night, Naruto laid down with Ino on the bed, getting into a comfortable spot. Ino snuggled up against him and Naruto held her close. They fell asleep, enjoying each other's embrace and warmth.

* * *

Haku stealthily tried to sneak past Zabuza, but the missing-nin was too aware.

"Haku, what took you so long?" Zabuza asked from his bed. Haku fumbled around for words.

"I-I just had some trouble finding the right herbs, Zabuza-sama." She responded as she tried to hurry to her room.

"What's the hurry, Haku? You're not trying to hide anything, are you?" Haku let out a small 'eep'.

"O-Of course not, Zabuza-sama. I'm just tired." Haku hastily opened the door to her room and locked it behind her. Her face was crimson now, and she took comfort in hugging her pillow as soon as she plopped down on her bed. She couldn't get that boy, Naruto, out of her head. And she was meeting him tomorrow after dusk! Oh, what have she gotten herself into?

'_Naruto-san.'_

* * *

Naruto arrived at the meadow, face to face with the giant fox demon. Kyūbi was mildly surprised from the boy's arrival.

"**My, you really did come see me again.**" Kyūbi said. Naruto nodded.

"I never break my promises, Kyūbi-san." Naruto sat down by the fox, who did nothing but stay in its prone form. "I must thank you for healing me, Kyūbi-san. You do amazing work." The great fox chuckled.

"**Do not get the wrong idea, kit. I only did so because your life is tied to mine.**" Naruto looked up at the demon.

"You still saved my life. That still warrants thanks, even if the reasons were selfish." Kyūbi stared at the boy for a moment.

"**... You are welcome, Naruto.**" Naruto met the fox's gaze.

"What is your true name, Kyūbi-san?" The fox demon stayed silent, contemplating.

"**How do you know it is not Kyūbi?**" The fox asked. Naruto shrugged.

"It just seems more like a title." Naruto explained. ""The Kyūbi no Yoko" is like a vague description of what you are. It does not define you."

"**You are correct in the assumption that Kyūbi is not my name. However, do you honestly believe me to so freely give my name to just anyone?**" Naruto shook his head.

"No, of course not. I ask only out of curiosity. If you do not wish to tell me, that is your decision. I will respect it." A silence hung in the air, only the gentle breeze in Naruto's mindscape providing any sort of sound.

"**... You are the first of all of my hosts to ask my name. You are the first of them to truly wish to get to know me. For your troubles, I will allow you to know the true name of the Kyūbi no Yoko.**" Naruto listened intently. "**Kurama. That is my name. Do well to remember it, for I will not repeat it.**" Naruto smiled brightly at the fox.

"Thank you Kurama-san. You honor me with this trust." Kurama hummed in amusement.

"**This is my only gift to you in your endeavor to know me. You will get nothing else.**"

"Your name is a great boon. It will be all I need to break the ice around your heart." Naruto reached out to stroke Kurama's fur, but paused."Is it all right if I touch you, Kurama-san?" Kurama stared at the blond's hovering hand.

"**... You may, Naruto.**" Kurama hummed in approval as Naruto's hand snaked through the fox's fur, a pleasant feeling coursing throughout its being. Maybe this boy's goal wasn't so impossible after all.

* * *

It was Naruto's turn to watch Tazuna today. Asuma was going to teach Shikamaru fire release while Ino was to run around the lake again. Naruto watched on in disinterest as Tazuna and his workers constructed the bridge. Ugh, Shikamaru was right, it was boring. He suddenly got an idea.

"Hey, Tazuna-san!" The old man to him. "You need some help?"

"Sure, any aide at all would be greatly appreciated." He replied. He got Naruto suited up in a hard hat with a tool belt. With a grin, Naruto performed a hand sign.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" One hundred Narutos puffed into existence. Tazuna stared gob smacked at the amount of manpower he could get from this kid. "Just tell us where you need us!" They said in unison. Tazuna had a small smile on his face. He should just get this kid to guard hi all the time.

With all the Naruto clones that helped today, the bridge was completed about a sixth faster than it would have been with just the regular guys. At dusk, Naruto and Tazuna went back home and helped Tsunami prepare the dinner table. His team joined him shortly. Naruto noticed Asuma's beard was a bit singed, and Shikamaru was unusually slouching.

"What happened Asuma-sensei?" He asked. Asuma glared at Shikamaru, who, although aware of it, did not turn to meet it.

* * *

Asuma had just finished teaching Shikamaru nature transformation. He had to say, the boy had some talent. The Nara had only taken about an hour to complete it.

"Well, it seems that you seems you got fire manipulation down pat." Asuma complimented Shikamaru, who smiled at the praise. "You and Naruto have great potential, I'm telling ya." Asuma pulled out a cigarette and stuck it between his lips. Before he lit it, he was tapped by Shikamaru.

"Let me try to light it." Asuma handed the boy the lighter, but Shikamaru shook his head. "I meant with fire chakra."

Asuma stared at the boy nervously. Sure, the boy was good, but the jōnin didn't think he could control the flame all that well. But the silent, pleading look the Nara gave him forced him to say yes. He sighed and stuck out the cigarette.

"Fine, just be careful." Shikamaru grinned and let loose a small spark of flame.

It wasn't the cigarette that caught fire.

* * *

The group ate in relative silence, due to tension in the air from multiple sources. Suddenly, Inari spoke up, the normally quiet boy's voice had a tinge of anger as he spoke in a low tone.

"You're going to die." Everyone turned to the boy. Tsunami gasped, shocked by her son's words.

"Inari!" She scolded, but he pressed on with a louder, angrier tone.

"Gatō is going to kill you all! You should just go back!"

"We can't go back Inari-san. To do so would mean we gave up." Naruto responded. Inari let tears fall down his face as he continued to scream.

"Why even try when you know you're gonna fail! The weak always lose to the strong, so why even bother!"

"It is better to try than to have never tried at all, Inari-san. If we don't try, how will we know if we can't do something?"

"You say that now, but you've never experienced true misery! You have no right to say such things when you've never suffered!" Naruto cast a piercing flare at Inari, which made him flinch and pause in his tantrum.

"Be quiet!" Naruto shouted, Inari's words destroying his usually calm demeanor. "You know true suffering, true misery? I highly doubt that. There are many people in the world who are pushed from their homes, lost all their loved ones, and struggle to live! At least you knew Kaiza, and knew that he loved you, and you still have your mother and grandfather! Me? I don't even know my true parents! I was abused for something I had no control over! But you don't see me crying, whining that my life is hard. So don't you dare say that you've suffered, experienced true misery, when in reality you have only grazed the surface!" Naruto rose from the table and headed outside to vent. His teammates were too shocked to try and stop him. They had never seen Naruto like that, _ever_. Inari eventually recovered and ran upstairs. Asuma sighed as he hobbled outside as well. He needed a smoke.

* * *

Haku walked past Zabuza again, claiming to be getting some more herbs. Zabuza allowed her to go, albeit suspicious of what she is actually doing. Haku headed towards the meeting spot with a nervous deposition. She needed to try to end this little excursion with Naruto before it was too late. And she had just the idea.

She spotted Naruto at their spot with a somewhat sour look on his face. She called out his name as she approached him.

"Naruto-san!" Naruto looked up and smiled at her. He began walking towards her.

"Good evening, Haku-san. I am glad to see you." Naruto said with a bow. Haku giggled.

"And I am glad to see you, Naruto-san." She sat down at the base of a tree, gesturing for Naruto to join her. Naruto promptly did so, and took a seat right beside her. "You seemed a bit upset when I first saw you, Naruto-san. What's the matter?" Naruto scowled.

"I recently got into this argument with a little boy who believed himself to know all about suffering." Naruto responded in a bitter voice. "He had lost his father several years back and uses that as an excuse to make others feel sorry for him. It would have been all right had he not accused me of ignorance to suffering."

"What is your experience of suffering, Naruto-san?" Haku asked. Naruto hesitated, unsure if he should tell someone who he just met yesterday of his past. He relented and told her.

"I was an orphan, Haku-san. I never knew who my parents were or where they were from. I lived in an orphanage since I was a baby. The headmistress there was kind to the others, but always ignored me when I needed help. When I turned four, she started hitting me, lashing me with a belt. I was denied food if I spoke of what she did." Haku gasped. Such maltreatment of a child that young of age?

"Why did she do that to you, Naruto-san?" Naruto let out a somber chuckle as he resumed.

"I asked her that once, when it first began. "Why are you hitting me? What have I done wrong?" She told me it was because of what was held inside of me, what that something had done to her. Because of something I had no control over, I was to be punished for its misdeeds." Haku nodded in somber understanding. Naruto turned to Haku, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry Haku-san. I should not burden you with my past." She shook her head.

"It's fine, Naruto-san. I went through something similar. You see Naruto-san, I have a kekkai genkai." Naruto's eyes widened.

"Are you a shinobi, Haku-san?" He asked.

"No Naruto-san, I am not." Technically, Haku was only trained in the shinobi arts. She was not actually a licensed shinobi. "You see, Naruto-san, I come from the Yuki clan of Kirigakure. Or rather, my mother was. The Yuki have the ability to use Hyōton (Ice Release). We can create ice from only our chakra, and can shape it into whatever we like." Haku raised her hand and an ice sculpture of a swan appeared in her palm. Naruto looked at it in awe.

"A war broke out in Kirigakure. At the orders of the Yondaime Mizukage, all the bloodline clans were sentenced to death. Our blood could not be allowed to the "dirty" the blood regular, "pure" shinobi have. My mother managed to escape into a village on the border of Mizu no Kuni, where she posed as a civilian woman. There, she met my father, a civilian man, and birthed me. As I grew older, I unlocked my ability to manipulate ice. After discovering my power, I showed my mother. I thought she would be proud. Instead, she slapped me and told me to never use my power again." Several small cracks began to form in the swan.

"At the time, I had no idea about the bloodline purge, but I obediently did as my mother told. However, in that one instance, my father saw my power. Later that same day, he killed my mother and almost killed me. My powers flew out of control, and my basic instinct kicked in. I impaled my father on a pillar of ice." The ice swan shattered, ice shards sparkling in the air. Naruto stared at Haku in sorrow. To imagine having your family killed in front of you and having to kill your own father yourself? Haku started to cry but felt Naruto embrace her.

"I'm sorry, Haku-san. I did not mean to make you relive such sorrow." Haku hugged one of Naruto's arms to her chest as she sobbed. After Zabuza adopted her, she tried to never think of the event again. Now, she just told her past to this stranger, this samurai boy she met only yesterday. Haku grimaced.

She couldn't become attached attached to this boy. He would eventually leave, or she would leave after completing her mission. Haku finally ceased her crying, meeting Naruto's gaze with her tear-stained face.

"Thank you Naruto-san. I really needed that." Haku told him. He smiled back at her.

"Of course Haku-san. Everyone needs to cry. That is part of our anatomy. Besides," Naruto pulled back from her and wiped the trails of her tears away. "I could never allow someone as beautiful as Haku-san to be filled with such pain." Haku gently clasped Naruto's hand.

"About that Naruto-san," Haku paused as she leaned forward, lips by his ear. "... I'm a boy."

"WHAT!" Naruto instantly pulled back, Haku smiling at the boy's reaction. The blond squinted his eyes at her. "No way, you're lying!" He accused the girl. Haku giggled.

"No, I really am a boy!" She insisted.

"Then prove it!" Naruto demanded. Haku blushed slightly.

"A-And how would I do that, Naruto-san?" Naruto came in close. Her blush grew more intense.

"Like this, Haku-san." His lips met hers, shocking the girl into silence. What was happening?! Why was he suddenly kissing her? Why didn't she push him back? Why was she enjoying this feeling? Haku's mind was fried. Naruto pulled back from the minute-long kiss. "Ha, I knew you were lying!"

"W-What?" Haku replied in a small voice, her mind just coming back from the kiss.

"When I was younger, an Onii-san told me that a girl would either slap me or do nothing when I kissed her, and a boy would immediately push me back and say "What the fuck are you doing!?" You didn't do anything when I kissed you, so that means you're a girl!" Naruto raised his arms in victory. "Yatta! I'm right again dattebay-" Naruto was cut off when Haku rushed for his lips again. She could only think about devouring the boy's lips to invoke that ecstatic feeling that filled her being the first time. What she got was an even more powerful feeling once Naruto began to kiss back, his tongue asking for entrance which she happily obliged. A battle of the tongues emerged, Naruto quickly dominating Haku's less experienced tongue. The burst of furious passion ended after a few minutes, the two parting with heavy breathes and a thin line of saliva connecting their mouths.

"That... Was..."

"Amazing, I know." Naruto finished cheekily. Haku rested her head on his chest as the two peered up into the night.

* * *

The rest of the week was a similar routine. Naruto was sent to guard Tazuna at the man's request, of which the blonde spammed an army of clones to help with the bridge construction. Then after the day was done, Naruto replaced himself with a clone and sneaked off to see Haku. After their time was done, Naruto would return to Tazuna's house and switch with his clone, happily falling asleep in Ino's embrace. By the week's end, most of the bridge was finished. Naruto and Shikamaru got a few new jutsu from Asuma, whose leg has fully recovered. Ino's chakra reserves and control were significantly increased, as well as her stamina and speed. But the week's end also signaled the return of Zabuza, who had no doubt also recovered. Asuma gathered his team together to discuss a plan.

"Okay boys and girl, as you know, there is a very high chance that Zabuza will appear on the bridge today. We all need to go together, so Naruto will make shadow clones to guard Inari and Tsunami. Now, all three of you will need to be on guard, as Zabuza has an accomplice. Assuming he is about chūnin-level in skill, you will all need to be on guard. Ino, you are in charge of guarding Tazuna. Naruto and Shikamaru, you two will be dealing with that unknown ninja. I'll handle Zabuza."

"But Asuma-sensei, why can't Naruto just create clones to protect Tazuna while I help them fight?" Ino asked. She didn't like it when she couldn't help her friends when she knew she could.

"It's because Naruto's clones are too easy to destroy. A single hit would make them burst." He explained. Ino slumped, but Asuma put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise that this will not happen all the time. You will get to fight." Ino nodded, reassured. "Make sure to get some good rest tonight. You'll need every bit if energy for tomorrow."

They all nodded in unison. They were prepared now, and they wouldn't let what happened before happen again.

They were ready.

* * *

_Next time on Return to Prominence_

_Naruto grunted as he felt several senbon hit his biceps. Kami, these things were so annoying! He clapped his hands together. "__**Fūton: Reppūshō**__!" The next barrage of senbon were deflected. "Face me with honor, shinobi!" Haku appeared in all the mirrors around Naruto._

"_Forgive me samurai-san. To fight you one on one would be my downfall. As I still have use to Zabuza-sama, I cannot die just yet." Haku's actual body appeared from above Naruto. "__**Hyōton: Seihyō Keimusho **__(Ice Release: Ice Prison)!" _

_Haku threw an ice senbon at Naruto, which stuck to his helmet. The senbon began to spread around Naruto's helmet, creating a growing layer of ice. Naruto, feeling the ice begin to cover his head, quickly unstrapped his helmet and tossed it to the ground. The helmet landed with a clatter before becoming fully encased in ice. Haku gasped as she now saw the samurai's true face._

"_N-Naruto-san?" Naruto saw the masked shinobi stepped out a mirror in front of him, taking off her mask. His jaw dropped in surprise._

"_Haku-san?"_

* * *

A/N: Ahh, so good to finally get this chapter out! Testing is coming soon and I'm trying to find a balance between work time and me time. Ugh. School sucks. Oh well.

Please, if you liked it, leave a review! If you have any criticisms, please also leave a review. If you have any questions, please PM me! I'll see you next time. Ja ne!


	5. The Start of a Harem

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the wait. My explanation can be seen at the bottom of the passage. I just want to let you guys know that the story will start to take a slower pace, focusing more on character development. I won't go through the training montages unless you guys and girls really want me to. I'm actually gonna have a poll set up for that that will end about two weeks from now, so be sure to check it out.

**Curving Almond**: I'm happy you think my story is worth your time good sir/madame. And thank you for letting me know about these mistakes, as well as your input about the story pace. I'm gonna try and hunt this down and fix them.

**DragonPony022**: Eh, sorry to disappoint you my friend, but Naruto will not be using a kanabo. And, as you will see in the chapter, Naruto will blend some ninja techniques with his sword skills.

**DhanaRagnarok**: Thanks! Glad you like it!

**Punisher951**: I'm happy you like it!

**VitaSen**: "Poopy" writing skills? What are you talking about? I read your story _Salutary Neglect_ and I gotta say, it's really good! Just a few mistakes here and there, but overall nicely done,so don't sell yourself short! Even still, I'm glad someone is "jelly" of my writing skills.;)

* * *

Team Asuma got up early to prepare for the upcoming battle. They were all currently outside, so as to not disturb Tazuna's family.

Naruto inspected each piece of his armor carefully. Despite the large gash that split his dō from the back and front, the piece was still usable. The cut was thin, making it unlikely that enemies would be able to take advantage of the chest piece's weakness. Satisfied with their condition, Naruto adorned his armor. He took a deep breathe as he picked up his helmet. He would not fail this time. He glanced at his teammates.

Ino was currently limbering up. Naruto noticed her inherent flexibility. Some of the angles she bent at seemed impossible to do, yet she never grimaced when she did them. That flexibility would become useful if she ever gets into a close quarters situation. He whistled as she jumped backwards into a tree, flipping as she scaled it. She reached the very top of the tree in a matter of seconds. Sitting on the very top branch, she waved down at him, not looking the least bit tired. Those chakra control exercises Asuma put her through really did wonders.

Shikamaru was thinking up contingency plans should something ever happen. The boy seemed focused as he crossed out different methods that he deemed flawed. The Nara looked up from his paper and called Ino and Naruto over. The two blondes made their way to Shikamaru, sitting on either side of him. Shikamaru explained to them what to do should one of the events he listed ever became reality. The two nodded and memorized several of the battle strategies that Shikamaru came up with, practicing several of them before breakfast started.

Asuma advised the team to eat only rice, so as to get more energy in a quicker amount of time. It was a silent meal, Tazuna having already explained to his family what is to be expected today. As the meal finished, the genin team helped Tsunami clean up and left the house with Tazuna. Out of sight, Naruto made several clones and posted them around the perimeter of the house. Confident that everything was in order, Team Asuma headed towards the bridge, ready for whatever awaited them.

* * *

Zabuza grunted as he swung Kubikiribōchō, cleaving a tree in a single swing. He slung the sword over his shoulder and watched as the tree crashed to the ground.

"A week off and I still got it." He laughed. Kami, it felt good to be moving about again! Haku clapped softly behind him, dressed in her hunter-nin attire.

"It is good to see that you are well, Zabuza-sama." She said warmly. It made her happy to see him as good as before. Zabuza turned to her, suddenly remembering a thought that has been on his mind for the duration of his recovery.

"Okay Haku, tell me. Where have you been going this past week? That first batch of herbs was enough to last us the week, so there was no reason to scavenge for more." He asked as he approached her. Haku stayed silent for a moment before answering.

"I... I've been meeting someone, Zabuza-sama." She admitted. She couldn't lie to her surrogate father. Not after all he has done for her. Zabuza narrowed his eyes.

"Who?"

"It's a boy. He's a traveler I met on the first day I was gathering herbs." She told him a small voice. Zabuza's eyes widened.

"...A boy?" Zabuza asked. Haku nodded shyly.

"Yes, Zabuza-sama." She confirmed.

"And what exactly do you do with him?"

"I... We just talk."

"Haku." He warned, knowing that that couldn't have been it. Haku's face grew flush as she told him the truth.

"We... We kissed." She stammered. "B-But that's not the only thing we do! We do talk to each other, and walk a-and stargaze as well!"

Zabuza became silent, multiple thoughts going through his head. Should he be accepting of the fact that Haku is finding interest in the opposite sex? Or should he try to enforce a life of chastity upon the girl? Maybe he should try to scare the ever living shit out of the boy if he met him. Zabuza nodded to himself. Yeah, that last one seems fun.

"Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked worriedly. There was a mischievous gleam in his eye as he smiled at her.

"Haku, you must introduce me to this boy." He told her.

"W-What are you planning to do to him, Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked nervously. She hoped he wasn't going to harm Naruto if she introduced them. Zabuza chuckled.

"I only wish to talk to him. I'm not gonna hurt him." He assured her. _'Much.'_ Haku sighed in relief.

"Of course Zabuza-sama." She bowed to him. "I would love for you to meet him."

Zabuza looked eastward, in the direction of the bridge. He let out a great sigh.

"I really hope the money is worth it. This is all too troublesome." He looked to Haku. "Let's go Haku. This is the final showdown." Haku slipped her mask over her face.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." The two began walking, bravely marching towards their possible deaths.

* * *

Team Asuma arrived at the bridge, finding it completely deserted. There was a thick mist hanging about the area, giving off an ominous aura. Asuma signaled for the genin to hold their positions.

"Something's not right about this mist." Shikamaru deducted. The weather didn't fill the right conditions for mist to occur.

"Agreed. Keep sharp guys." Asuma warned. The three genin surrounded Tazuna in a triangle formation. Shikamaru and Ino had kunai up while Naruto gripped the hilt of his blade. Their eyes darted to and fro, trying to catch a glimpse of anything unusual. Asuma had his trench knives out, his chakra running through the metal. Suddenly, a new voice resounded throughout the area, its tone reverberating with powerful, dark malice.

"Heart, jugular vein, liver, lungs, larynx, collarbone, kidney, and spine. The eight points of instant death. Where would you like my blade?" The genin froze from the voice. Asuma grimaced. Zabuza was projecting his killing intent.

'_What is this?' _Shikamaru questioned. _'This pressure... If I make any sort of movement, I will die!' _Small beads of sweat began to drip down his face.

'_I... I can hardly breathe... What is this overwhelming presence?' _Ino thought. She was slightly trembling.

'_This feeling... I've felt it before. Killing intent...' _Naruto gripped his sword tighter. _'This won't stop me.' _

"Ooooh. It seems you survived, little samurai. That's good." Zabuza's voice echoed around the whole area, making almost impossible to pinpoint the swordsman's exact location. "Don't worry, you're safe from me, for now. It's the least I could do since last time."

"Don't think me weak just because of my previous defeat!" Naruto shouted into the mist. Zabuza's chuckling slightly unnerved him.

"Of course not. You are far from weak, little samurai. But my attention is needed elsewhere. My assistant will deal with you in my stead." Suddenly, a figure appeared in the mist in front of Naruto. Shikamaru tensed. It was that fake hunter-nin.

"That's our target." He warned. Ino was filled with great nervousness.

"Be careful guys." She warned.

Naruto nodded and formed the cross hand sign.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**." Twenty clones popped into existence, surrounding the hunter-nin. The shinobi stayed completely still, calm but tense. Shikamaru formed his own hand sign, his shadowing propelling forth. The hunter-nin spurred into action, jumping way from the shadow with Naruto's clones quickly following him.

"You couldn't have believed it was that easy, could you?" The nin taunted. Then he noticed Shikamaru's shadow was still stretched out, connecting with the shadows of the clones. "What?"

"**Shika-Naru Kumiawase: Kage Buyō** (Shika-Naru Combination: Shadow Dance) (1)." Shikamaru called. The clones then crisscrossed with each other, jumping around the nin and trying to connect their shadows. The hunter-nin pulled out some senbon and threw them at the cluster of clones, popping two of them. A clone came in from his right, but was soon popped with a stab. Another came in from above, plunging its sword down. The nin dodged it and threw another set of senbon, destroying the clone. Two clones charged at him from the front but were soon dispelled.

"Interesting maneuver, but it will take more than this to capture me." The nin mocked. The remaining clones charged in, but were quickly dispelled. The nin, confident that he thwarted their plan, charged at Shikamaru, whose shadow receded. Just as he was a foot away from the Nara, the nin's body froze. "What!?"

"Capture success." Shikamaru announced from behind. The Shikamaru in front of the nin grinned before transforming into Naruto. "Good job with the replacement Naruto."

"It was nothing, Shikamaru." Naruto said as he unsheathed Kitsune no Kōkatsu and pointed it at the hunter-nin. "Any last words?"

"Yes. Fooled you!" The nin suddenly shattered into thousands of ice shards, startling both Naruto and Shikamaru.

"A clone!?" Shikamaru yelled.

"Made of ice?" Naruto murmured. Ice? This couldn't be Haku, could it? No, it had to be a coincidence to run into another member of the Yuki clan.

* * *

'_That was close. It's a good thing I decided to send in a Kōri Bunshin _(Ice Clone) _first.' _Haku thought with a sigh, her entity still concealed in the mist. _'Their teamwork is rather good for a pair of fresh shinobi.' _She looked to the samurai, a sense of nervousness filling her. That samurai's name was Naruto. That couldn't be her Naruto, could it? _'No, it can't be.' _She shook her head. Time to get serious.

Haku leapt from the mist, behind Shikamaru, senbon in hand. The Nara turned just in time to block the stab with his kunai. Their arms trembled, trying to hold each other's weapons back with their own. Haku suddenly flashed through a series of hand signs with her other hand. Shikamaru's eyes widened.

'_Single-hand seals!?' _Shikamaru quickly tried to jump back, but Haku had already cast her jutsu. Many mirrors of ice surrounded the two combatants, forming a dome around them.

"**Makyō Hyōshō**! (Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors)" Haku jumped back, phasing into one of the mirrors, soon appearing in all of them. Naruto gaped at the ice structure, realizing his friend was in immediate danger.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto cried out.

"I'm fine Naruto, I got it!" Shikamaru formed a number of seals before bringing his hands to his mouth. "**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu**! (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Technique)" A great number of small fireballs spewed forth from his mouth, impacting the ice mirrors and creating a layer of steam. When it cleared, the ice mirrors were still there, fully intact. "I don't got it!"

"Despite ice's natural weakness to fire, my mirrors are resistant to even the most powerful of katon jutsu." Haku explained. "There is no escape. Prepare to meet your end." Shikamaru grimaced.

"Troublesome."

* * *

With the genin occupied, Asuma clapped his hands together.

"**F****ūton: Reppūshō**!" The mist around Asuma cleared away, opening a large clear sphere around him. Asuma looked around him, his hands tightly gripping his knives in anticipation. Suddenly, Zabuza came flying from above, swinging Kubikiribōchō down with great force. Asuma leapt away from the sword, which crushed the concrete beneath it as it landed. Asuma charged Zabuza, his knives poised to strike. Zabuza blocked an overhead swipe with the flat of his blade.

"Your leg seems to have healed up fine." He commented. Asuma smirked.

"And that whole in your stomach seems to be patched up." He retorted. Zabuza chuckled before pushing the Konoha-nin back. The two charged each other once again. Zabuza swung at Asuma's side, making Asuma jump over the blade. Asuma somersaulted with his knives sticking out. He pushed wind chakra through the blades, extending their range and sharpness, striking against Kubikiribōchō. The great blade held, but the flat side was scratched an uncountable amount of times. Asuma landed with a grunt, and was then promptly charged by Zabuza. The missing-nin buried the flat of his blade into Asuma's torso, pushing him back. With a mighty yell, Zabuza forced Asuma into the ground, a great crash reverberating throughout the area.

Zabuza hefted Kubikiribōchō to his side as he glanced down. A smashed log was in place of Asuma. Zabuza flipped himself over the great blade, dodging a stab from Asuma. Asuma flipped away and flew through a series of seals.

"**Katon: Haisekishō**! (Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning)" A great cloud of black smoke erupted from Asuma's mouth. Zabuza jumped back into the mist, away from the ash. Then he smelt the substance. It wasn't ash.

'_It's gunpowder!'_ Zabuza quickly jumped as far away from the black cloud before Asuma clicked his teeth, igniting the entire cloud. A large explosion erupted, the sound echoing for miles on end. Asuma panted, knowing that Zabuza got away from the technique. He quickly reasserted his stance, searching for the missing-nin. The mist cleared away, revealing Zabuza channeling chakra. Great spouts of water rose from the sides of the bridge. Asuma's eyes bulged.

"**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu**! (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)" Zabuza shouted as he commanded the pillars of water to crash onto Asuma. Asuma quickly prepared a counter jutsu.

"**Fūton: Daitoppa**! (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)" Asuma blew out a great gust of wind, which clashed with the giant wave of water. The two jutsu battled for dominance, but could not overcome the stalemate. The wind died out while the water fell to the ground and flowed off the bridge. Both shinobi were panting in tiredness.

"Not bad." They said to each other. Then they charged for another round of close combat.

* * *

Shikamaru grunted as he felt more senbon pepper him, the needles digging into various body parts.

"Naruto, a little help!" Shikamaru cried out. Meanwhile, Naruto was slashing at the ice outside in a futile attempt to break it.

"I'm trying Shika!" Naruto shouted as he chipped away at the ice, which reformed even the smallest of scratches. Shikamaru suddenly remembered one of the formations.

"Naruto! **Ten Sankaku Furi Oritatami **(Collapsing Point Triangle Swing)(2)!" He screamed. As soon as he heard him, Naruto slapped himself upside the head.

"Kami, I'm such a baka! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" A clone popped into existence. "Quick, switch places with Shikamaru!" The clone nodded, but was quickly dispelled by Haku. An image of the hunter-nin appeared in front of Naruto and waved it's finger.

"No no no, it's rude to interrupt someone's fight." The image disappeared once the message was sent. Naruto shouted in frustration.

"Kuso! Fine." Naruto quickly switched places with Shikamaru. Shikamaru let out a growl of disbelief.

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing!"

"This ninja won't let me switch with my clones! Don't worry, just try to figure something out from out there!" Shikamaru grimaced.

"You better not die this time baka!" Shikamaru then rushed to Ino to discuss a plan. With the Nara's departure, Naruto turned to face Haku and her mirrors. He pointed Kitsune no Kōkatsu at the image in front of him.

"I am you opponent now, shinobi-san." Haku sighed as she readied some more senbon.

"Very well samurai-san. I will try to end this quickly." She threw a barrage of senbon at Naruto, who rushed into it. The needles deflected off his armor harmlessly. Naruto channeled wind chakra through his blade and swung it at the mirrors in front of him..

"**Fūton: Onsoku Kiri**! (Wind Release: Sonic Cut)" A large crescent of visible wind left the blade mid-swing. The projectile impacted a row of mirrors, the ice visibly shredding with the wind. When the crescent dissipated, there was a deep gash left in the mirrors it hit, almost cutting completely through it. The ice soon reformed, but Haku was panting slightly, and was sweating behind her mask. It took all she had to make sure it didn't cut through. This samurai was strong. She would need to take it up a notch.

"Impressive, samurai-san. Zabuza-sama was right about your potential. Nevertheless," Another barrage of senbon came, this time piercing the parts left unprotected by the plate. "You must fall." The senbon started coming in an endless stream, most of them hitting the mesh of his armor. Naruto grunted in pain as they entered his flesh. He clapped his hands together.

"**F****ūton: Reppūshō**!" Naruto was surrounded by a sphere of air, which deflected the incoming needles and forcing Haku to stop her assault. He stopped for a moment to pull out some of the needles in his legs. They came out as easily as they went in, but Naruto had to put up the sphere once again to avoid even more needles. Naruto groaned in annoyance.

'_You guys better figure out a plan soon. This is getting annoying.'_

* * *

"Well what the hell should we do!?" Ino screamed at her teammate. Shikamaru gripped the sides of his head in frustration.

"I don't know! Naruto is the best suited to fight that hunter-nin, but even then he will get slowly whittled down. Those mirrors are nigh indestructible, so we can't break them, and because of them that ninja is almost untouchable."

"Well, how about we all go in there and help Naruto out?"

"Then who will protect Tazuna? And besides, that hunter-nin is moving at a blurring speed. No way would we be able to hit him. None of us can predict his movements nor are we fast enough to hit him in between his attacks." Shikamaru glanced over at his sensei, who was still matching Zabuza blow for blow. "How's Asuma doing?"

"It's a stalemate. Whatever blow they land on each other is returned in full, and their jutsu always cancel each other out." Ino turned her attention to the ice dome. "I hope Naruto is doing all right in there."

"Me too."

"Are you sure we can't do anything?"

"Without endangering ourselves or Tazuna? No. We will have to wait until one of them wins, or until Asuma beats Zabuza. I only hope Naruto wins."

"Yeah." Ino stared worriedly at the dome. "I hope so too."

* * *

Naruto grunted as he felt several senbon hit his biceps. Kami, these things were so annoying! He clapped his hands together. "**Fūton: Reppūshō**!" The next barrage of senbon were deflected. "Face me with honor, shinobi!" Haku appeared in all the mirrors around Naruto.

"Forgive me samurai-san. To fight you one on one would be my downfall. As I still have use to Zabuza-sama, I cannot die just yet." Haku's actual body appeared from above Naruto. "**Hyōton: Seihyō Keimusho**! (Ice Release: Ice Prison)"

Haku threw an ice senbon at Naruto, which stuck to his helmet. The needle began to spread around Naruto's helmet, forming a layer of ice. Naruto, feeling the ice begin to cover his head, quickly unstrapped his helmet and tossed it to the ground. The helmet landed with a clatter before becoming fully encased in ice. Haku gasped as she saw the samurai's true face.

"N-Naruto-san?" Naruto saw the masked shinobi step out a mirror in front of him, taking off her mask. His jaw dropped in surprise.

"Haku-san?" The two slowly approached each other. "I thought you said you weren't a shinobi!" He yelled indignantly. He was not happy being lied to, and even more furious about not catching the lie.

"I'm technically not. I'm not officially registered." She replied, also slightly agitated. "Why didn't you tell me you were part of this genin squad?"

"How come you didn't tell me you were working with Zabuza-san?" He countered. Both stared into each other's eyes before sighing. They understood why. It was to protect their precious people.

"I'm sorry." They apologized at the same time. Haku helped Naruto remove whatever senbon was still on his person before hugging him. The ice mirrors began to melt, Haku having stopped the flow of chakra to sustain them. Naruto gently wrapped his arms around Haku.

"Naruto!" Naruto saw Ino and Shikamaru rush to him. Haku and Naruto pulled away from each other, Naruto sliding in front of her.

"What's up guys?" He called to them. They both gave him stern looks. There was some explaining to do.

"Do you know that person Naruto?" asked Shikamaru. The blonde smiled meekly.

"Yes, I do. Her name is Haku. I met her the day I recovered, in the forest a few miles away from Tazuna's house." Speaking of which...

* * *

_At Tazuna's house_

Gatō's two bodyguards, Waraji and Zōri, approached the household with a barbaric excitement. Gatō had ordered the two to take Tazuna's family hostage, but clarified that they only needed one. They stood at the door and knocked.

"I'm coming!" Tsunami called, ignorant of the guests' identities. She opened the door with a warm expression on her face, which quickly turned horrified. The two goons grinned as they forced their way inside, pulling Tsunami with them. "H-Hey, let me go!"

"I'm sorry dear, but we need you to come with us." Zōri told her. "You see, Gatō needs a hostage to hold over your dad."

"Which means that we're taking you whether you like it or not." Waraji finished. "So unless you want to get hurt, you better come along nice and quietly." There was an evil glint in his eye. "Or don't, then we will have so much more fun together." He gave Tsunami a long lick to the neck, unsettling her and making her squirm more fiercely within his grasp. Zōri scowled at his partner.

"Idiot, you're making her fight more!"

"M-Mom?" Everyone turned to the stairs, where Inari was staring at the scene with shock. Zōri and Waragi had sinister grins on their faces while Tsunami cried out.

"Inari, run! Go quickly!" She screamed.

"Well what have we here? A little runt waking up from nap-time?" Asked Zōri as he walked towards Inari.

"No, please! Leave him alone!" Tsunami screamed. "If you hurt him, I-I'll bite my tongue and kill myself!" Waraji tightened his hold of her to stop her struggling. Zōri turned back to her.

"If you come with us silently, then we'll leave your boy alone. Deal?" Tsunami quivered as she nodded. Zōri turned back, glancing at Inari as he did so. "It's your lucky day boy. Now be a good little brat and stay out of our way." Tears were running down Inari's face as he looked down at the floor. He mumbled something, making Zōri stop. "What was that kid?"

"LEAVE MY MOM ALONE!" Shouted Inari as he charged the mercenary. Caught off guard by Inari's defiance, he took the boy's headbutt into his stomach. Zōri doubled over in pain as Tsunami yelled out in worry.

"No, Inari! Please, you need to run!"

"No! I'm tired of running! Naruto was right, I need to fight!" Zōri looked up at the boy, glaring at him hatefully.

"D-Damned brat!" Zōri punched Inari in the stomach as he rose, knocking the boy off his feet. He drew his sword, grinning sadistically as he stared at Inari's terrified expression. "You're gonna pay for that!"

"NO! INARI!" Tsunami screamed, tears running down her face. "WHAT ABOUT OUR DEAL!?"

Zōri sneered. "I changed my mind! This brat dies!"

Tsunami made to bite her tongue but her jaw was forced shut by Waraji "Now now, where would the fun be if you killed yourself?"

Zōri raised his blade over his head, cackling madly. He swung down.

Only to meet another blade. A Naruto clone came in between the mercenary and the boy, easily holding the larger man's strike. Zōri stared at the clone in surprise before glaring at him.

"Where did you come from?" He asked through gritted teeth, trying to exert more force to overpower the samurai clone. The clone responded with silence. With a quick knee to the gut, the clone pushed back the goon before taking a defensive stance before Inari. Zōri grunted in pain as he held his stomach. Waraji glared at the clone.

"Hey, do you know who you're messing with! We're samurai you little brat!" The one-eyed mercenary yelled. A low chuckle came from the clone.

"You? Samurai? No. I am a samurai. My rōnin master was a samurai. To call you disgraceful bandits samurai is an insult to our very honor." The shadow clone pointed his blade at them, the black metal gleaming in the light. "And for insulting my honor, you will die." Suddenly, five more clones came into the room, surrounding the mercenary pair. The two sellswords shared a look before charging into one of the walls, breaking it, and landed in a heap. Tsunami, still in Waraji's grasp, let out a small shriek as she impacted the ground.

Zōri was the first to recover, quickly sprinting away from the shadow clones. Waraji soon followed, but at a slower pace. They did not get far before three clones each appeared before them. Zōri charged one of the clones, his sword held high over his head, before being gutted. Another swipe from a clone beheaded the man. Waraji looked on in horror and fright, slowly backing away from the clones.

"St-Stay back! If you come any closer I'll break her neck!" The swordsman yelled. No sooner had the words left his mouth did an arrow pierce his skull from behind. The body of Waraji stood there for a moment longer before collapsing to the ground. Tsunami stood still, completely shocked at what had happened in that instance. One of the clones approached her.

"Are you all right, Tsunami-san?" He asked. Tsunami could only nod dumbly, still reeling from the experience. Back inside the house, a clone was putting away his yumi, an awed Inari standing next to him. The clone kneeled before the boy, their eyes meeting.

"That was very brave of you, Inari-san. I apologize for my harsh words earlier this week. I would think Kaiza-san would be proud of you for standing up for your mother." Tears fell once more from the small boy's eyes. Inari hugged the clone close as he bawled for a moment, the clone returning the embrace.

* * *

"You met her a week ago and you're already hugging?" Ino asked jealously. No girl was allowed to touch Naruto beside her! Naruto nodded.

"Yes. We became fast friends, Ino-chan. She's not bad." Haku stepped up to Naruto's side and hugged his left arm.

"We became more than that, actually." She said affectionately. Naruto and Ino gave her an incredulous look.

"You did!?/We did?" They asked, though with varying levels of calmness. Haku looked at Naruto with a slightly disappointed face.

"I would have thought that after we kissed so many times you would think so too."

"YOU WHAT!?" Ino shrieked at Naruto, who scratched his head with his other hand.

"Isn't that what friends do? I mean, my Onii-san told me the girl he was kissing was just a friend when I saw them do it." The girls both stared at Naruto, amazed by his naivety.

* * *

_Somewhere in Konohagakure_

Kakashi was fervently locking lips with Konoha's Snake Mistress Mitarashi Anko when he suddenly felt a chill go down his spine. He pulled back, trying to wonder what caused that feeling.

"Mou, what's the matter Kakashi-kun?" Anko asked him while running a finger down his exposed chest.

"I have a feeling something I did in the past will comeback to haunt me one day." Was it the time when he explained sex to Naruto? Maybe.

"Well, that can wait, ne? Let's get back to round three." Anko gave his neck a lick. Kakashi relented and returned to his previous activity. Whatever it was, it could wait until he was finished ravaging the seductress beneath him.

* * *

Shikamaru facepalmed at Naruto's words. Was it because he was dense? Or was it due to his theoretical innocence that he was unable to figure out what his action meant romantically? Maybe it was both. Ino immediately grabbed Naruto's right arm.

"Mou, Naruto-kun is mine! I kissed him first!" She yelled as she pulled him to her. Haku 'humph'ed' as she pulled Naruto back to her.

"But Naruto-san and I have a special connection!" Ino pulled again.

"But I've known him longer!" Haku pulled again.

"Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight?"

"Um, girls?"

"Yes I do. But I saw him first!"

"Well it's obvious that Naruto-san prefers older, more mature girls to immature ones!"

"Girls?"

"I'm closer to his age!"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"It does when you're trying to prey on a boy younger than you are you damn cougar!"

"Cougar? I'm only fifteen years old!"

"That's still a big age difference!"

"Girls, please-"

"No its not!"

"He's thirteen, it's big enough!"

"Listen to yourself! Do you see why I call you immature?"

"Maybe Naruto-kun likes that! Besides, he calls me -chan, so that means he's more comfortable around me!"

"That's because Naruto-san respects me!"

"STOP FIGHTING!" Strangely enough, it wasn't Naruto who said it. Everyone on the bridge turned towards the two new arrivals. It was the Demon Brothers, who looked a bit roughed up. The genin and Haku slowly approached as Asuma and Zabuza stopped their dispute.

"What happened to you two? You looked like you got into a fight." asked Zabuza. Gōzu nodded.

"Hai, we did Zabuza-sama. Gatō has been plotting to betray us. We would have gotten here earlier, but he hired some hunter-nin. We've managed to defeat them but Gatō has already amassed an army of his bandits."

"He planned to take you out when you were exhausted from fighting the Konoha-nin. He should be here in a few moments." Meizu finished.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted that little shit!" Zabuza roared. He turned to Asuma. "It seems we are no longer enemies, Sarutobi Asuma." Asuma grunted in response, relaxing slightly but still on guard. Zabuza looked for Haku and saw her hugging the samurai boy's arm. "Is this the boy you met?"

"Y-Yes, Zabuza-sama. This is him." Haku said shyly. Naruto waved as Zabuza approached them.

"Hello Momochi-san! It's great to properly meet you." Zabuza soon stood in front of the blonde, towering over him.

"Well what a coincidence. Tell me boy, what do you think of Haku?" Zabuza asked with a scowl. Naruto grinned back at the man.

"Haku-san is very polite and kind. When we first met, we got along quite well. Despite only knowing her for a week, I consider Haku-san as one of my precious people." Haku blushed at the statement while Ino grew slightly envious. Zabuza stared at the boy menacingly for a few moments longer before speaking.

"... I'm glad you think so." He stepped back, stabbed Kubikiribōchō into the ground, and took a seat. "I'm bored. I was hoping you would start sweating like a pig gaki. Seems you're made of tougher stuff than that." Naruto bowed to Zabuza.

"Thank you for the compliment Momochi-san."

"Call me Zabuza, Momochi-san makes me feel old." The Demon brothers approached their master.

"What should we do, Zabuza-sama?" They asked him.

"We wait. Then we slaughter them." Zabuza leaned against Kubikiribōchō and relaxed. Asuma followed the missing-nin's lead and pulled out a cigarette, trying to calm his nerves. The Demon brothers sat down on either side of Zabuza and conversed with their leader about recent happenings. Tazuna, completely forgotten about in the intense fight, took a swig from his flask. This left the genin to continue their earlier argument.

"MINE!" Ino and Haku shouted as they nearly ripped Naruto's arms off.

"Okay, okay, please stop!" Naruto groaned. "Why are you two fighting anyway?"

"Because I love you baka!" They yelled in unison.

"I love you both as well, so please stop fighting. I don't want my precious people to fight." Naruto said morosely. The girls looked at him in a guilty manner before releasing his arms. "Thank you." Naruto rubbed his sore arms. "Why don't you two take the time to get to know each other while we're here."

"That's gonna have to wait. Gatō's here." Zabuza announced. True to his word, Gatō was at the front an army of thugs and bandits.

"Zabuza! Why the hell haven't you killed that fucking bridge builder yet?!" The short man yelled. Zabuza slowly rose and hefted his sword to his shoulder.

"It's because I know you never meant to pay me, you damned midget." He shouted. "Don't try lying either. My subordinates already told me you tried to hire hunter-nin after us and they have the wounds to prove it." Gatō growled in frustration., but then smiled.

"Fine, you're right. I never was going to pay you. No matter. I have an army of over a hundred bandits, which should be enough to take care of you." He turned around to his army. "The one who brings me his head will be paid triple of what you're getting!" His army roared and charged the group of ninja. Zabuza and the Demon brothers smirked behind their facial coverings before they charged as well.

The Demon Brothers attached their serrated chain to their gauntlets and ran to the sides of the bridge. They caught the front lines of the army, the bandits skewering themselves on the chain. The ranks behind the front line pushed forward, not knowing what was happening. Zabuza jumped right into the middle of the force and started spinning, cleaving everything in his blade's path. The back of the army started backing off, dividing the force in two. The Demon Brothers ran thought the opening created by Zabuza and encircled the front half of the army with their chain. With a mighty pull, the chain started slicing through the bandits on the outside and continued through to the interior of the bandit group. Limbs and torsos fell to the ground in a bloody heap as the mercenary ninja went to work. The army of bandits that numbered well over a hundred was reduced to a bloody mess within minutes. Gatō stared on in shock at the swift massacre of his men, before running away to a boat below the bridge. Zabuza appeared before him in a puff a smoke, his body covered in blood that was not his own.

"Where do you think you're going, little man?" Zabuza asked menacingly. Gatō fell on his backside at Zabuza's sudden appearance and crawled backwards until his back hit a pair of legs. He looked up to find Gōzu and Meizu drenched in blood, looking down on him with a predatory stare. He looked back at Zabuza, who was slowly walking towards him.

"N-No! Pl-Please spare me! I'll pay Zabuza! I'll pay double- no, triple the amount I owe you!" Gatō begged for his life. Zabuza chuckled at Gatō's pathetic appearance.

"Oh, you'll pay Gatō. You're gonna pay me with your miserable life!" Zabuza-raised his sword over his head before bringing it down.

"Wait! Zabuza-san!" Tazuna called. Kubikiribōchō stopped just inches away from Gatō's face, the craven man stunned from his near death.

"What is it old man?" Zabuza asked impatiently.

"Give Gatō to us. We have much to discuss with him." Tazuna looked down at Gatō, a harsh expression on his face. "So very much to _discuss_." Zabuza laughed as he pulled away his sword.

"Fine then old man. He's yours."

"Grandpa!" A new voice called. Everyone turned around and saw the townspeople of Nami armed with various makeshift weapons with Inari and Tsunami leading them. "Did we miss the fight?"

"Oh yeah. You definitely missed it." Zabuza said. He picked Gatō up by the collar of his suit and tossed him to the mob. "Consider this an apology gift for trying to kill your granddad." The mob stared at the cowering form of Gatō with a savage glee.

"It's Gatō!"

"Kill him! Make him suffer for what he's done to us!"

"Let's feed him to the fishes!"

Various cries of retribution filled the air as the mob swarmed him. Gatō gave a frightful yell which eventually turned into a death rattle as the townspeople tore him apart. Asuma looked at Naruto.

"Aren't you against this Naruto? He didn't get a proper trial." Naruto shook his head.

"No, but the evidence that he is guilty lies within the people of Nami. As far as I'm concerned, Gatō got what was coming to him." He looked to the bloody part of the bridge, where pieces of man still lay twitching on the concrete. "Zabuza-san, do you think you could clean up the mess you made?" The swordsman nodded and prepared a jutsu.

"**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu**." Pillars of water rose again and splashed onto the bridge, cleaning off the bloody mess he and the Demon Brothers caused. With the cheering of the crowd and the enemy dealt with, Naruto had one question.

"What now?" Asuma placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Now we wait until Tazuna-san finishes the bridge. Then we go home."

"Does this mean we can relax for the next few days?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes. Consider it a reward for a job well done." The Nara sighed in relief. Ino jumped on Naruto's back.

"You hear that Naruto-kun! We have a few days to ourselves!" She necked him. "We're gonna have so much fun, just Naruto-kun and his Ino-chan!" Haku embraced Naruto from his front.

"You mean Naruto-san and I are gonna have so much fun, right Naruto-san?" The two girls shared a heated glare before Naruto spoke up.

"No we're not. Not until you girls can get along better. Can you even stay for long, Haku-san?" Haku realized he was right. She quickly turned around to Zabuza.

"Can we stay for the next few days Zabuza-sama?" She pleaded. Zabuza waved her off.

"Yeah yeah, we can stay for a bit. This whole ordeal has me stressed out, and now is a good a time as any to relax. You can go ahead and do whatever you want, but I'm going home. Don't be gone too late Haku." Zabuza then started walking back to their base.

"We're coming too Zabuza-sama!" called Meizu as he and his brother rushed to join him. Haku turned back and smiled at Naruto.

"There's your answer Naruto-san."

"Well then, why don't you two get to work. Until you girls sort out your dispute, I'm going to hang out with Shikamaru after I get out of my armor." Naruto picked up his helmet off the ground, still frozen solid, and held it in front of Haku. "If you wouldn't mind Haku-chan?"

"Of course, Naruto-san." With a silent command, the ice immediately melted. With that, Shikamaru and Naruto left the bridge. The mob dispersed, each going back to their daily lives. Asuma followed Tazuna and his family back to their home. The girls looked at one another before following Asuma.

* * *

The girls decided to parley in Ino's room, Naruto having gone into Shikamaru's room playing shōgi. They sat across from each other, legs crossed with an air of silence between them.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... I'm not going to give up Naruto." Ino broke the silence. Haku gave her a polite smile.

"Neither am I."

"I can be reasonable, Haku-san."

"As can I, Ino-san. What do you propose?"

"Well, it seems you are adamant about being with Naruto, and I can't do anything about it without incurring Naruto's ire. That being said, I say we share him." Haku grew curious.

"Share? As in fifty-fifty?" Ino sighed.

"For now, yes. As much as I dislike having to share Naruto, I have a feeling that he's going to keep attracting more girls like moths to a flame."

"And it would just be easier to accept them than to oppose them." Haku concluded.

"Right." Ino smirked. "Besides, you're gonna keep traveling with Zabuza right? That means you won't be here most of the time." Haku grimaced. She was right. "So why don't you get the first day with him?"

"R-Really?"

"Sure, you won't see him again for a long time anyway, so it's only fair."

"Thank you, Ino-san." Haku bowed to her. Ino smiled.

"Of course Haku-san. Like Naruto-kun said, we should try to become friends."

* * *

_In Shikamaru's room_

The two boys of Team Asuma were playing a casual match of shōgi. The match had been going on for a good hour, the two conversing as they played.

"So what's it like having two girls fight over you?" Shikamaru asked as he moved a rook.

"It's really weird. I don't like it." Naruto moved his knight forward.

"Of course_ you_ wouldn't like it. Other guys would kill to be in your position." Shikamaru dropped a pawn next to the blond's knight.

"Really? They want to hear women argue constantly?" Naruto captured the pawn with his silver-general.

"Which is why I don't envy you. I'm fine with being monogamous. Having more than one woman is troublesome." Shikamaru captured the silver-general with his rook.

"Yes, it really is." Naruto moved his bishop to the other end of the board, promoting it.

Shikamaru moved his lance forward, on space away from Naruto's king. "Check."

Naruto captured the lance with his knight. This allowed Shikamaru to place his own bishop past the knight, ending the match.

"Checkmate." Shikamaru announced with a grin. These matches got better and better every time. Naruto sighed in defeat.

"Once again, I am defeated." Just then, the door opened. The boys turned to see Haku poking her head in.

"Naruto-san. Ino-san and I have reached an agreement." Naruto nodded and rose from the floor. He looked at Shikamaru.

"Thanks for the match Shikamaru. See you later." Naruto followed Haku out the door.

"Don't have too much fun Naruto." Shikamaru called after him.

* * *

"So I will be dating the both of you during the remainder of the mission?" Naruto asked. Both girls nodded in confirmation. "Are you quite sure you are both all right with this?"

Ino smiled at him. "Yes Naruto-kun. We believed it necessary to share your affections, because we did not want to force you to choose."

"We both love you very much, Naruto-san." Haku added. "And we did not want you to feel guilty for having chose one over the other."

Naruto gave them both a bright smile and bowed. "Thank you. I am unworthy of your kindness." He raised his head. "So who will be my first date?"

"I will be accompanying you tonight, Naruto-san." Said Haku as she stepped forward. Naruto embraced her.

"Then I will make sure to make our first date memorable." He whispered. Ino pouted at their affectionate display, which soon turned into a small smile. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Later that day, Naruto and Haku were dressed in their casual clothing, walking around the village of Nami. It was a day of celebration, one that would continue for three days and three nights. Decorations were thrown up, stands were serving free food and games, and the populace were having a blast. All of this was due to Gatō's blood money. After Gatō's death, the villagers ransacked his mansion, distributing the wealth among the populace. The food being served was from Gatō's food storage, and the decorations were from his warehouse in the harbor. Who knew a dead man could be so generous?

Haku dragged Naruto over to a sushi stand. It was a nice, quaint little stand that reminded Naruto of Ichiraku Ramen back at home. They took their seats by the counter, a rather young, average looking man awaiting them. He gave them a large smile.

"Hello! Welcome to Satake Sushi! How may I help you today?" He greeted. He then gasped when he saw Naruto. "Ah, Uzumaki-san! It is an honor to have you in my shop!"

Naruto waved in acknowledgment. "Mah, I'm actually surprised you know me."

"But of course, Uzumaki-san! Tazuna-san and his family spoke of your heroics. We people of Nami are eternally grateful!" The man bowed. Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as Haku giggled at his situation.

"There's no need to bow sir." Naruto realized something. "Ah, I didn't even ask for your name."

"I am Satake Yoshiharu." The man replied. Haku noticed that Yoshiharu was alone.

"Is it just you that works here, Satake-san?" She asked. The sushi chef nodded.

"Hai. My father used to work here as well, but he passed away while Gatō still ruled." The man's expression saddened a bit, before brightening once more. "But it's okay. He had already lived an eventful life, so it was not such a bad death."

"Even still, You have our condolences." Said Naruto as Haku nodded in agreement. Yoshiharu smiled.

"Ah, arigatō Uzumaki-san. Now, enough of my sob story. What would you and your lady friend like to eat?"

Haku and Naruto looked over the menu, which was filled with a large assortment of sushi, ranging from simple nigirizushi to more complex tempura and futomaki. "Hmm. What do you want Haku-san?"

Haku waited for a few moments before deciding. "I think I might have the unakyu (3), along with some octopus tempura."

Yoshiharu wrote down her order and turned to Naruto. "I'll also have the unakyu, and the crab futomaki as well."

"All right! This will only take a few minutes." Yoshiharu then went into the back to prepare their food, leaving the two adolescents by themselves.

Haku leaned against Naruto, her head resting on Naruto's shoulder. "Thank you for taking me out, Naruto-san."

Naruto wrapped an arm around her waist. "Of course Haku-san. It is a great privilege to be able to escort you to this event." The two were silent as they waited for their meal, enjoying the warmth of their embrace.

Yoshiharu came back shortly, surprising the two lovebirds with his quick return. "I'm sorry I took so long, but I haven't made tempura in a while." Was his excuse as he laid out their food in front of them. Long? It took him less than five minutes!

The food laid before them looked absolutely exquisite, the rolls so perfectly made and cut that it seemed professionally made. Both Naruto and Haku picked up their chopsticks and dug in. As the sushi touched their tongues, both customers let out a small hum of surprise.

"This is delicious!" Exclaimed Haku as she stuffed more unakyu into her mouth in a completely unladylike manner.

"Yes, this is really quite good." Naruto praised, having a bit more control of himself as he ate.

Yoshiharu grinned. "I'm glad you like it! My family has a history of master sushi chefs in our line. It's in our blood!" The sushi chef suddenly dawned an expression of realization. "OH! That's right! Uzumaki-san, if you would like, I could make you a very special dessert sushi!"

This caught Naruto's interest. "Dessert sushi?"

"Yes. It is prepared with sweetened rice and black bean paste filling. It was rather popular when my father was my age, or so he said."

Naruto looked to Haku, who, with having a mouth stuffed with sushi, gave him the go ahead. "Sure. Let's try it."

"Wonderful! I'll be right back." Yoshiharu then disappeared into the kitchen. In just a few minutes, he reemerged with a serving tray in his hand, a lid covering the contents of the plate. He set it down in front of Naruto and placed his hand on the handle of the lid.

"May I present to you..." He pulled the lid off, revealing a number of standard futomaki rolls. However, what Naruto noticed was the design. "Uzumaki!"

Uzumaki. Whirlpool roll. The name perfectly matched the description. The rice and bean paste, when rolled up, formed a very familiar spiral. The symbol of his long lost clan, put into food form. Naruto could only stare in awe of the food. Something within Naruto swelled with happiness and pride. As if he could see the greatness of his clan inside the roll.

He slowly reached forward, his hand slightly trembling. As his chopsticks closed around a piece, a small tear fell down his cheek, unnoticed by Naruto. His breathe was caught in his chest as he brought the piece closer, examining it. Slowly, he popped the morsel into his mouth.

Naruto was unsure if it was the sushi or the emotion, but the sweetness hit him hard, like the sword that almost killed him. It was... To say it was delicious would not do it justice. The taste was indescribable. It was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

It was one of the best things he ever tasted.

Haku reached over and took a piece herself, eating it with much more care than its predecessors. She squealed in delight when the sweetness exploded in her mouth. "This is amazing!"

Naruto nodded slowly in agreement, almost as if he was in a daze. "It truly is... One of the best things I've ever tasted." His gaze was averted to his lap, his hair hiding his eyes.

"I'm glad you liked it! This is a secret recipe after all." Said Yoshiharu with a proud grin.

"Teach me."

"Huh?" Yoshiharu asked in surprise. Naruto was staring directly at him, multiple tears trails flowing down his cheeks. His blue eyes projected a silent pleading.

"Please. Teach me how to make uzumaki.(4)" Naruto begged in a quiet voice.

Yoshiharu gave Naruto a happy expression. "Sure thing Uzumaki-san! It's the least I could do to repay you for all you've done for us!" Haku looked on in interest, silently stealing food from Naruto's plate as she did so.

Naruto smiled at the sushi chef, bowing slightly to the man. "Arigatō, Satake-san. You have no idea what this means to me."

Yoshiharu waved off the thanks. "Ah, there's no need for thanks Uzumaki-san. I would have offered anyway had you not asked." Naruto smiled at the man. He turned his attention back to his food.

"Wait, what!?" It was all gone! Even the uzumaki! Naruto quickly turned to Haku, who was about to place the last piece of uzumaki into her mouth. The two met eyes before Haku popped it past her lips. "NO!" Naruto dove into her, knocking them both off their stools. Naruto pinned her to the ground before seizing her lips, trying to get the sushi back.

Yoshiharu simply glanced down before averting his gaze. "Ah, young love."

* * *

_Next time on Return to Prominence_

_Naruto held Haku close, a forlorn look on his face. "I'm going to miss you Haku-chan."_

"_I will miss you as well, Naruto-kun." She replied in a sorrowful tone, tears dripping down her eyes._

"_Do you really have to go?" He whispered into her ear._

_She pulled back and nodded. "Yes Naruto-san. As much as I want to stay, Zabuza-sama still needs me to achieve his dream."_

_Naruto placed a chaste kiss on her lips, which she then turned into a lover's farewell._

* * *

**Omake: It's Just What Friends Do**

"Isn't that what friends do? I mean, Shikamaru and I kissed, and he didn't say anything." The two girls gasped, their eyes widened into saucers. Shikamaru slammed his fist into Naruto's head.

"Baka! I said 'What the fuck are you doing!?' when you did that! Then I told you not to tell anyone!" The Nara screamed at his friend.

"But you didn't tell me it was a bad thing!" Naruto yelled back, nursing the growing lump on his head.

Shikamaru sputtered for a bit. "Well I- I mean... You still should have... Shut up!" Shikamaru crossed his arms and turned away, pouting.

"Mou, don't be like that Shikamaru! I'll make it up to you!" As Naruto tried to make amends with his friend, the two girls could only do one thing.

_'I ship it.' _They thought as blood ran down their noses

* * *

A/N: And that's a wrap! Man, I'm sorry I took so long, but I had some trouble writing the whole date scene as well as the 'beginning of the harem' scene. Ugh, I'm terrible. Also, be aware that any of the techniques I make up myself will be explained at the bottom of the page. And Omakes are gonna be an every five chapters thing, so don't expect it next chapter.

1.** Shika-Naru Kumiawase: Kage Buyō**: Naruto makes a bunch of shadow clones, which are then used by Shikamaru to extend his shadow. The clones aren't paralyzed, but whatever shadow that connects with their own shadows is paralyzed. The clones then rush the enemy, jumping and distracting them however they can while also trying to connect their shadows with the enemy's. If all the clones are dispelled, Naruto henge's into Shikamaru and switches places with him. (There was a certain technique that Shikamaru uses in the anime that mirrors the concept, but I can't remember the name and the Naruto wiki doesn't have it. If you know it, please tell me.)

2.** Ten Sankaku Furi Oritatami**: "When one member of Team 10 is trapped or surrounded, another will sneak into the scene and utilize Kawarimi no Jutsu to switch places with them. Uzumaki Naruto with then create a Kage Bunshin and will use it to again Kawarimi with the still trapped team member and free the entire team, leaving the Kage Bunshin behind to direct enemy attention until it is dispelled. By this time Team 10 will either have counter-attacked or will have left the immediate area to regroup. This can also be done with only two members of the team, but the necessary member must be Uzumaki Naruto for his use of Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to provide the last expendable body meant for the final Kawarimi." (This is literally a renamed strategy created by **Kenchi618** for chapter 10 of _Better Left Unsaid_. Credit to him for creating such an awesome story and techniques!)

3\. So, uh, yeah. Lots of sushi terms here that you can literally just google and wiki.

4\. This scene is based off of Chapter 6 of _Making Uzumaki_ by **PsyckoSama**. I really loved this scene and I really want to put my own spin on it. I really hopes **PsyckoSama** updates soon, the story is really good!

Please, if you liked it, leave a review! If you have any criticisms, please also leave a review. If you have any questions, please PM me! I'll see you next time. Ja ne!


	6. Wave Good-bye, Konoha Ho!

A/N: Hey guys, what's up? Now I know you are probably angry with me, so feel free to express your anger all you want. I have no excuses. (But is you want to check them out, they're at the bottom of the page.)

**DragonPony022: **I'm glad you like my little spin-off. I tried to keep a balance of OOC with canon and I'm quite happy with what I came up with. And you're right about the upcoming Gaara fight. How ever will Naruto succeed this time?

**Gamerdue22: **Yep, same here.

**Jaerskov:** That is quite the compliment. Thank you sir/madame!

**Story Artist: **Well, I'm afraid you're gonna have to read and find out my friend. Sorry, no spoilers!

**Dino Jedi: **No spoilers! (Unless you're really curious, then PM me.)

* * *

Naruto and Haku left the stand after their little fiasco, Naruto having agreed to meet Yoshiharu tomorrow for his lesson. The couple continued through the festival, playing at a few game stands here and there. Eventually though, the celebration came to an end for the night. They walked back to the forest, to their usual spot. The young lovers laid down on the grass, peering up at the night sky. The moon was bright and surrounded by shining stars, illuminating the black of night.

Haku sighed as she laid her head down on Naruto's chest.

"This was a nice night Naruto-san. Thank you again for accompanying me." She said affectionately.

"Of course Haku-san. It was my pleasure." Naruto replied. Haku turned her gaze towards his visage.

"Actually, Naruto-san," Naruto met her eyes. "Could you just call me Haku? Or at the very least, Haku-chan?"

Naruto nodded and wrapped an arm around her. "Of course, Haku-chan." He turned his gaze back to the moon, its luminescence almost hypnotizing him. "The moon is really beautiful tonight."

"It really is." She agreed.

"Then again, it is not nearly as beautiful as Haku-chan." Haku grew flustered at his words.

"D-Does Naruto-san really think so?" Naruto met her gaze.

"Even if my Bushidō hadn't forbade me from lying, I would never tell you anything but the truth."

A moment of silence fell upon the two as they gazed into each other's eyes. Haku slowly inched her face closer to Naruto's and pressed her lips to his.

"Oh, Naruto-san..."

* * *

After Naruto had escorted Haku back to her temporary home, he quickly went back to Tazuna's abode, though it was well past midnight. He quietly made his his way upstairs and into his room. Ino was patiently waiting for him on the bed. As soon as she saw him, a wide smile spread across her face.

"Hey Naruto-kun." She greeted. A small frown found its way across Naruto's features.

"Ino-chan, it's past midnight. What are you still doing up?" He asked worriedly.

"I've grown so used to you sleeping with me, I can hardly fall asleep by myself anymore." She gave him the most adorable, pleading look. "Ino-chan can't sleep without her Naruto-kun pillow."

Naruto sighed before getting situated for the night. He climbed into the bed and embraced Ino, who hummed happily in delight. She snuggled into his arms and enjoyed the warmth emitting from his body. She glanced back at him.

"So, did you enjoy yourself?" She inquired.

Naruto nodded. "Yes. Haku-chan and I had a lot of fun."

Ino pouted. "Oh, so it's Haku-_chan _now?"

"Would it be better if I called you Ino-_hime _from now on?" He asked wryly.

"May~be" Ino giggled as she closed her eyes, her tiredness now taking full effect. She let out a small yawn. "Mou, Naruto-kun better make sure that he doesn't have a repeat performance tomorrow when he takes his Ino-hime out."

"Of course not Hime. My princess will get a very special treat, just for her."

Come noon the next day, Naruto would be found at Yoshiharu's stand. He had donned an apron and patiently awaited the sushi chef's instruction.

"Now Uzumaki-san, I assume you've had prior experience in the kitchen before?" Yoshiharu asked.

"Yes, I have Satake-san." He confirmed. "I've been living by myself for a period of time, so I've been forced to learn out of necessity. Also, a dear housemate of mine had taught me whatever I had yet to learn by myself."

Yoshiharu nodded in satisfaction. "That is good. And have you ever prepared any sort of sushi before?"

"I've dabbled here and there, but I've never had much luck with it." Naruto admitted. Whenever he tried before, it always came out misshapen and/or loose, making the contents fall out and looking overall inadequate. Yoshiharu let a small smile come across his face.

"Ah, that's okay." The chef said as he laid out several ingredients before them, as well as the tools needed to make sushi. "Now, show me how you do it and I'll tell you what went wrong afterwards."

Naruto nodded and went to work.

...

...

...

"Well, uh, that really is an interesting shape you've got there Uzumaki-san." Yohiharu said hesitantly, a bit baffled at how bad the roll looked. It was bulky in the middle with the ends of the roll being really thin, as if all the contents were shoved into the center. Not only that, but the bulk was also partly angular. One side was completely flat, another was roughly rounded with bumps, and another was creased inward, creating a triangular dip into the roll. The sushi chef then glanced back at Naruto's hands, which had clumps of rice scattered about the skin.

Naruto looked at his work with a solemn smile, knowing that it was completely crap. "... Please help me Satake-san."

Yoshiharu took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. "I hope you're a fast learner Uzumaki-san. For both our sakes."

Naruto certainly was a fast learner. After Yoshiharu pointed out the many mistakes in his technique the blonde almost instantly corrected himself. In about two hours, Naruto had perfected the art of sushi making under the tutelage of a master chef. With a sigh, Naruto removed his apron and hung it on a nearby rack. He grinned as he bowed to Yoshiharu.

"Thank you once again Satake-sensei." The man grew flustered and waved him off.

"Hora hora, there's no need to call me sensei! It was my pleasure to impart my knowledge unto you Uzumaki-san." He said with an embarrassed smile. "Besides, it was only right to teach an Uzumaki to make uzumaki!"

They both laughed at the small pun made by the sushi chef. Naruto turned to exit, but called over his shoulder.

"See you later Satake-san!" Yoshiharu waved at the retreating form of the samurai boy, whose plan for the night was set in motion.

* * *

"So where are we going first Naruto-kun?" Ino asked as the two blonds walked to the town. Both were dressed in their usual attires.

Naruto smiled playfully as he answered her. "Oh, you'll see Ino-hime." They continued walking, but never stopped once as they passed by the many game and food stalls. Ino was getting anxious to see what Naruto had in store for her, and was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.

'_Ooooh, I can't wait much longer! Did he plan a romantic dinner? Or is he taking me to a swimming well to go skinny dipping? Maybe it's-' _She gasped silently. _'Is he planning on proposing!? Oh my Kami that would be amazing!' _As such thoughts raced about in her head, Ino failed to notice that Naruto had led them into the woods, away from the village. The jinchūriki stopped his companion at small clearing, just a mile out from the town.

"We're here Ino-hime!" Naruto's voice shook Ino from her thoughts. She examined the area around her, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"What are we doing here Naruto-kun?" She asked in confusion. Why weren't they at the party?

Naruto grew a grin on his face. "It's so that no one interrupts us." He replied as he formed a hand seal.

A puff of smoke later, two more Naruto's were standing by the original. The trio each took a scroll from their holsters and, while jumping backwards, unsealed their contents, creating a large smokescreen. Ino waited with baited breathe to see what Naruto had in store for her. After a moment, the smoke dissipated, revealing the Narutos with instruments in their hands, as well as some amplifiers around them. (1) One Naruto had a drum set before him, another wielded an electric bass guitar, and another a regular electric guitar. They all had microphones in front of them. Ino looked on in awe, completely speechless.

The Naruto with the regular guitar smiled at her. "A private concert just for you Ino-hime." (2) And then they started playing.

Owari naki tabi no tochuu tachidomarisou na toki

Fukai tameiki kobosu bokura wa

Tsukamikakete wa mata hanareteita

Demo ima wa mou nanimo osoreru koto wa nai

Kokoro o tsunagu tsuyoi kizuna wa

Keshite hodoke wa shinai sa

Sagashitsuzukete tadoritsuita

Kono basho de period ni

As the solo played out, Ino thoroughly expressed her surprise. Since when could Naruto sing?!

'_Kami... His voice is so beautiful.'_

Ai ni michita nukumori karadajuu kakemeguru

Nido to kieru koto nai kioku ga

Kanarazu yakusoku hatashite kimi o tsureteku yo

Afureru (yume o) negai (daite) subete uta ni nosete

Genjitsu kara me o sorasazu ni

Tachimukau yuuki o

Kanashimi ikari chikara ni kaete

Unmei wa sugu soba ni

Mukau saki wa hora

Kirameku sekai

Boku o furuwasu kono kansei o

Uragiru koto wa shinai sa

Tomo ni ikiteku mirai no tame ni

Kono basho de period ni

Shinjitsu wa yubisaki ni

With a final strum, the song ended. The Narutos were cheering, feeling the rush that filled them from the performance.

"That was awesome!"

"I know dattebayo!"

"High fives for everyone!" However, when their hands came into contact, the force was enough to dispel the two clones, leaving only the original. Naruto then turned to Ino, who was slowly approaching him. He smiled at her.

"So, how was th-" Ino didn't let him finish his sentence, quickly smacking him. Naruto held his cheek as Ino began berating him.

"That was for not telling me about your musical talent! And this..." Naruto cringed, bracing for another hit. He was surprised when he felt soft lips press against his own, and soon relaxed under the pleasant warmth of Ino's embrace. The kiss lasted for a minute before they broke off for air. "... Is for such a wonderful date."

Naruto stared into her eyes with a wry smile. "Anytime, Ino-hime."

"Hmm, I hope this wasn't all you planned, was it Naruto-kun?"

"Of course not Hime, we have yet to eat, ne?" It was then that Naruto escorted Ino back to the village, where they enjoyed the festivities the the fullest.

* * *

Naruto was back into the meadow, by the side of Kurama. He was laying down on the ground, his eyes scanning the fake sky for unusually shaped clouds. Kurama, for his part, was resting as he usually was, but was casting glances at the boy to his side.

"**Naruto**." Kurama spoke. Naruto craned his head to look at his tenant.

"Yes Kurama-san?"

"**Would you construct something to entertain me? As much as I love lounging about, even I can get bored sometimes**." The fox's voice reverberated throughout the landscape. Naruto stood up.

"Of course Kurama-san. Just a moment." Naruto closed his eyes and began focusing. Almost instantaneously, a large rabbit, roughly half the size of Kurama, appeared before them. It sat before the great fox, whose grin grew with each passing second. The two large animals locked eyes, a pregnant pause falling before them.

"**Boo**." As soon as the word left his mouth, the rabbit began running away as fast as possible. The demon fox rose from its prone position and stretched. "**Kit, you are quickly becoming one of my favorite humans ever**." Then he gave chase.

Naruto sat back down and observed the chase with a small smile on his face. He was glad that he was able to bring some pleasure to his tenant.

"Hey, Kurama-san-" A splatter of blood smacked him right in the face, drenching the upper half of his body in crimson.

Then again, it was not so pleasant watching the giant fox tear into the rabbit like a blood-starved beast.

* * *

It was day three of the festival and with Tazuna having finally finished the bridge all of Team Ten was able to cash in on the fun. Even Zabuza's crew joined the festivities. One could wonder what they were all doing now.

* * *

_At the local bar..._

"Hey, barkeep! Another round!" Zabuza yelled as he stared Asuma down. "I'm surprised you've held this long. Fifteen mugs..."

"And counting." Asuma finished with a smirk. This drinking contest between the two shinobi have been going on long enough to warrant bets on who would win. To be completely honest, he was feeling a bit light-headed, but who wouldn't after fifteen mugs of booze? The bartender placed another pair of mugs on the table, filled to the brim with... With... Well, he couldn't remember anymore.

Zabuza's shark-toothed grin unsettled their spectators. "You ready monk?"

Asuma lifted his mug into the air. "You bet no-brows!"

Gōzu and Meizu stared at the two contestants with amusement.

"You think we should be worried Gōzu?" Meizu asked his brother.

Gōzu took a sip of sake from his dish. "Nah, they'll be fine."

* * *

_At Satake Sushi..._

The shinobi adolescents were currently enjoying a round of sushi prepared by grateful sushi chef and his apprentice.

"Oi, make me another serving of unagi Naruto-kun!" Ino demanded. This earned her a sour look from a certain ice user.

"Don't be so rude Ino-san." Haku scolded the blonde. Then she immediately put on a sweet smile as she addressed her love. "Though another round of unagi would be much appreciated Naruto-san."

"Hai, another round of unagi coming up!" Naruto announced as he went to work.

Shikamaru gave his friends a deadpan stare. "Why exactly is Naruto cooking for us again?"

"He asked for an opportunity to showcase his new-found skill in the art of sushi making." Yoshiharu explained. Shikamaru huffed at the man's words.

"I think he's just trying to one-up me, like he does in everything." Murmured the Nara.

"That's not true Shikamaru." Naruto corrected as he placed served the unagi. "I never 'tried' to one-up you. And the last time I checked, I have yet to beat you in any of our shōgi matches."

Ino gave Shikamaru an annoyed look. "Mou, stop being so jealous of Naruto-kun. Maybe if you actually did something beside play shōgi and watch clouds, you could amount to something already!"

Haku nodded in affirmative. "Ino-san is right. Jealousy really is unbecoming of you, Nara-san." Shikamaru just groaned in defeat. Women were troublesome. Just as he was about to drop his head into his arms, a plate of mackerel and kelp was placed in front of him. He looked up and saw Naruto giving him his happy-go-lucky smile.

"Don't mind them Shikamaru. Enjoy yourself! After all, it's a party!" With that, Naruto turned his attention back to the two ladies. Shikamaru stared at the plate in minor shock before glancing at Naruto. He picked up a bit of fish and kelp and placed them into his mouth. As soon as the morsels touched his taste buds, his eyes widened in surprise of the explosion of flavor in his mouth. His eating pace slowly quickened to that of an Akimichi, finishing the plate and quickly calling for another serving.

Despite Naruto causing him all sorts of trouble, the Nara could safely say that is was all worth it.

* * *

Zabuza awoke the next morning in a daze. Oh Kami, why was his head hurting so badly? _'Oh, that's right. The drinking thing.'_ He remembered. He examined his surroundings, noticing that he was back at his temporary base and in his bed. Then he looked down, seeing the Demon Brothers passed out on the floor with several sake bottles between them. On closer inspection, Zabuza noticed a small parchment of paper resting on the back of Meizu's prone form. Groggily, he reached for the note and quickly flipped it open.

His eyes widened. It was a letter from the Kiri Rebels! How the hell did they even know where he was!? He hurriedly read the letter's contents.

'_Demon of the Mist,_

_It has come to our attention that your services are available for hire. We would like to broker a contract with you and your colleagues. If you are interested, please come to the small town of Iwase on the border of Mizu no Kuni. There, go to the tavern and tell the bartender "The mist shall forever remain white." We will arrive shortly afterwards._

_T.M.'_

Zabuza rolled back into bed with a small frown on his face and closed his eyes. As soon as his hangover was gone, he and his gang were moving out.

* * *

Naruto let out a heavy sigh as he and his team crossed the newly finished bridge. _'So it's finally time to go home.'_

He turned back, seeing all the townspeople of Nami waving at them.

"Take care now! Comeback anytime!"

"Have a safe trip back!"

"We'll always be in your debt!"

Naruto smiled before also waving back, Ino and Shikamaru joining him. They resumed their trek home with a renewed vigor. Asuma took a large drag from his cigarette, a small smirk on his face. It was then that they were stopped by other arrivals.

"Ah, it seems you're leaving as well." Asuma stated, noticing the mercenary group carrying several storage scrolls.

Zabuza gave the man a mirth-filled, bandaged smile. "Well, I got a new job offer. I got nothing better to do, so I decided to take it."

"Ah, well, I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully you aren't working for another tyrant." Asuma mused.

"Nah, I've learned my lesson." replied Zabuza as he shook his head. "Working for a tyrant is too troublesome. I wouldn't want to run into guys like you for a while yet."

As the jōnin conversed, Haku and Naruto stepped up to each other. Ino and Shikamaru turned their attention elsewhere, so as to let the two have at least _some _privacy. The young lovers had remorseful looks on their faces, and refused to meet each other's eyes, content with staring at the ground.

"My team is heading home, back to Konohagakure." Naruto announced awkwardly.

"Yes, and Zabuza-sama is joining the Kiri Rebellion." Haku replied calmly.

"Do you want to come with me Haku-chan?" The samurai offered. "I can surely convince the Hokage to allow you to join our shinobi force." _'And that I can see your face almost regularly.' _He added silently.

"I'm afraid I can't Naruto-san. As much as I want to, I need to help Zabuza-sama liberate Kirigakure from her tyrant, like how you've done here."

"So... This is good-bye." The blonde stated.

Haku gave him a sad smile. "Yes. It is."

A small silence befell them before they finally looked up and stared at on another, tears welling in their eyes. "I'm going to miss you." they said simultaneously. They stepped closer to each other and grasped hands.

"Haku... I really enjoyed the time I spent with you here."

"As did I Naruto-san. I... I will forever cherish these memories for as long as I live." Tears stated to fall from her eyes. She tried to stem their flow in vain, clenching her eyes shut. She didn't want to leave, didn't want Naruto to forget her. She wanted to stay with the boy she loved.

'_But I can't.'_ She thought remorsefully. _'Zabuza-sama's goal is for the betterment of all of Kirigakure. This must be done, so that no child will ever have to go through what I went through ever again.'_ Haku suddenly felt arms envelop her, filling her with warmth.

Naruto held her firmly yet gently. "It's all right, Haku-chan." He whispered gingerly in her ear. Haku's sobbing stopped. "I'll never forget you Haku-chan. Always know that you have a special place in my heart, and it will always be there no matter what happens." He placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "I love you, Haku-chan."

"Naruto-san I... I love you too!" Haku quickly shoved her lips unto Naruto's, surprising him with her fervor. The lovers' farewell lasted for a good minute or two before they stopped. They were breathing heavily, their eyes glazed over with a powerful passion. They embraced each other tightly.

"Promise me." Haku started, her voice slightly quivering. "Promise me that we will meet again."

Naruto paused briefly before answering. "I promise, Haku-chan. Be it in this life or the afterlife, I promise that we will meet again." As he spoke, he tightened his hold on Haku's body. They stood there like that for a moment until a small cough interrupted them.

"Ahem." The two broke away from each other and turned towards Zabuza, who had a somewhat content look on his face. "Come on Haku, it's time for us to go." A mirthful smile can be seen underneath his bandages. "After we win the war, you can have all the time you want to make babies with the samurai."

He was instantly gratified with a flustered Haku. "Z-ZABUZA-SAMA!"

* * *

As the people of Nami watched their heroes disappear over the horizon, they found themselves a small dilemma.

"Oi, Tazuna-san. What are we gonna call the bridge?" A man called from the crowd.

Tazuna turned to face the crowd behind him and rubbed his neck. "Uh, I haven't really thought of one yet."

The mass of people let out a resounding "EEEEEH?!" before blasting the old man with questions and insults.

"You're telling me you spent months planning the construction, yet you haven't thought of a name!?"

"Shitty old man, are you growing that senile?!"

"What the hell are we gonna call this thing then!?"

Tazuna held up a hand, causing the crowd to pause as they waited for his response. "I have decided what this bridge shall be named." The mass of villagers waited with baited breathe as the bridge builder dramatized the moment unnecessarily. Suddenly grinning, Tazuna struck a pose. "It will be called the Magnificent Bridge of Tazuna!"

All fell silent, nobody moving as they let his words settle in.

"..."

"..."

"... Is that a no?"

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT THAT'S A NO!" The people of Wave yelled in unison. Just before the crowd began their onslaught of insults, Inari spoke up.

"How about the Great Naruto Bridge?" The young boy suggested. His words caused murmurs within the crowd, the people agreeing almost unanimously with Inari.

The old bridge builder gave a relenting sigh, though he fought to hide the smile on his face. "Fine. From here on out, this bridge shall be known as the Great Naruto Bridge. Let its name forever inspire courage and hope throughout these lands for the rest of our days!"

* * *

Team Asuma made good time in returning to their home. Without Tazuna slowing them down, they were able to get back in about half the time. Soon, they saw the grand walls of Konohagakure as they approached the west gate. Shikamaru let out a groan of relief.

"Finally! Kami, it feels so good to be back!" He said as he picked up his pace.

Ino gasped as she grabbed Naruto's arm. "Hey Naruto-kun, let's go shopping!"

"Ah, I don't know Ino-hime. I kinda just want to rest at home for the day." Replied the blond as he rubbed the back of his head.

"But you pro~mised!" She whined, giving her boyfriend her cutest angry face.

Naruto gave Ino a sheepish look. "Well, I did promise. But can't it wait until tomorrow Ino-hime?" The trip back home had been somewhat taxing, and the jinchūriki had several matters of greater importance to take of first. _'Like having my chest piece repaired.' _He thought as he brushed a finger over the gash.

His fellow blond let out an exaggerated sigh as she crossed her arms, a small smile ghosting over her features. "Fine, but you're taking me out for lunch!" As Naruto opened his mouth to respond, she cut him off. "And yes, you're paying for that too!"

With a small sigh, Naruto nodded his head. "Of course, Ino-hime." Naruto never saw the pitiful look his sensei gave him.

'_Poor boy. He hadn't even gone through puberty before becoming whipped.'_

"Hey, would you guys hurry up? I want to end this troublesome mission already!" Shikamaru called from the entrance. Ino and Naruto snickered.

"I think this is the first time _he_ ever told _us _to hurry up." Naruto whispered. As requested by their teammate, they hurried over to the gate guards. _'Izumo and Kotetsu, if I recall.'_

"Ah, Asuma, welcome back!" Izumo greeted. "How was the mission to Nami no Kuni?"

"Hello Izumo, Kotetsu. The mission was a success, though I can't go into detail about it."

"I understand. Just hand me your papers and you'll be free to go." With a quick exchange of papers, Team Ten merrily went on their way to the Hokage Tower.

As they walked past, Kotetsu looked at the three genin, notably Naruto, and whispered to Izumo. "Oi, it seems that whatever happened sure took a toll on the samurai. Look at his armor Izumo." His friend turned his gaze towards the blond boy. "See that gash?"

Izumo stared at the damaged chest plate. He saw the opening from the front as well, and it mirrored the one they now see on his back. "Kami... What do you think caused it?" Izumo asked his fellow chūnin.

Kotetsu shook his head. "I don't know, but whatever it was, it was big and sharp."

* * *

Team Ten stood before the Hokage for their team's mission report. The genin stood straight, as did their sensei, though Asuma held a cigarette between his lips. Hiruzen did not mind his progeny smoking in his presence, he did it himself during mission debriefings. And from what his son has told him, it would seem that the nicotine would be the only thing keeping his son from starting a yelling match with his father.

"So, it is to my understanding that you have not only engaged and defeated The Demon Brothers, a pair of C-ranked missing-nin, but also the A-ranked missing-nin Momochi Zabuza as well as his B-ranked accomplice. That is excluding the fact that you have in a sense liberated Nami no Kuni from the tyranny of the shipping magnate, Gatō, of Gatō Company. Was I at any point wrong in my summary?" the Hokage asked his son.

Asuma deeply inhaled before removing the cigarette from his lips. "Yeah, that about sums it up." he replied. The Third gave Asuma a hard look.

"You do realize that not only did you unnecessarily put yourself and your students in danger, but you have also disobeyed protocol by not sending for reinforcements after encountering a ninja of A-rank status." Hiruzen scolded. "You should have returned immediately after encountering The Demon Brothers."

The younger Sarutobi took another drag before answering his father. "In hindsight, you are correct. By all means, we should have reported back to at least request a more suitable team to carry on the mission. However, it was not my idea in the first place. My genin were the ones suggesting that they could carry on with their own power, and after their thrashing of two C-rank missing-nin, I was inclined to believe them."

"So you listen to three children who have only just begun to gain field experience over the instruction that has been drilled into you since you were a chūnin?" Hiruzen inquired, his tone clearly admonishing the jōnin.

"Yes. At the time, I was quite impressed with their performance, and believed that I could handle whatever came next."

"But you didn't. You encountered Momochi Zabuza and were defeated. Not only that, but young Naruto-kun almost lost his life because of the encounter."

"If I may, Hokage-dono," interrupted Naruto, "It was not Asuma-sensei's fault for the outcome of that situation. I had voluntarily engaged Zabuza so as to help rescue Sensei. I knew what I was getting into. Besides, I doubt that anyone could have predicted that someone of Zabuza's caliber could have appeared on our mission."

"Naruto's right!" Shikamaru joined in the defense. "The odds of something like that occurring are more than a million to one. There was no way that we could have known that we would encounter someone as dangerous as Zabuza."

"Yeah!" Ino popped in as well. "Besides, who cares what happened then? We're all here safe and sound and the people of Nami no Kuni are free."

"It is not as simple as that, Yamanaka-san." the Hokage retorted. "This may be, as Nara-san has said, a one in a million chance occurrence, but so long as there is at least a possibility for something to go wrong, I _cannot_ allow this act to go unpunished. If anything, this instance will be used as an example to all others that something _can _go wrong on a relatively simple mission." The genin of Team Asuma stepped back and bowed their heads low.

"Our apologies, Hokage-sama." they chorused.

Hiruzen let out a quiet sigh. "As the Hokage, I am to treat even the smallest of dangers with great caution. However... " He took off his hat and placed it on his desk, revealing much more of the older Sarutobi's wizened features. "As a old man way past his prime, I can understand your actions. I can even say that I would have done the same at your age."

This prompted Team Asuma to stare at the Hokage with gratitude. "So, what will be our punishment?" Asuma asked.

"Team Ten will be put on temporary probation from any mission higher than D-rank for a one-month period." Shikamaru grimaced at this announcement. He could complain, but the punishment could be a lot worse.

'_Doesn't really change how troublesome it will be though.'_

"Considering that the briefing is over, you are dismissed." he continued. "That is, except Naruto and Asuma."

Sensei and student sighed. They figured that Hiruzen would further question Naruto's miraculous healing. Ino and Shikamaru, however, were not so keen about leaving without sating their curiosity.

"H-Hey, what's going on?" Ino asked.

Naruto gave her a stern gaze. "I'll explain it later."

"But Naru-"

His gaze hardened, leaving no room for argument. Shikamaru grasped Ino's shoulder, prompting her to look at him. Her pineapple-haired friend shook his head and gently escorted her out of the room. Ino stared at Naruto, a look of wonderment gracing her face until the door shut her from his gaze. As soon as the two left, Hiruzen quickly performed several hand-seals before slamming his hands on his desk. The room glowed a deep purple before returning to normal.

"Now that we are safe from prying eyes and eavesdroppers..."the Hokage started. "Tell me about your interaction with the Kyūbi, Naruto-kun."

Naruto stepped forward and bowed. "Hai, Hokage-dono. After my grievous injury..."

The adolescent samurai explained everything to Hiruzen, from their first encounter to last night's interaction. At several points in time, Hiruzen's expression suddenly changed to startled before becoming cool and calculating. After Naruto finished he stepped back to stand next to Asuma, who in turn stepped forward.

"Could you explain to me what you saw of Naruto's wounds after he woke up, Asuma?"

"Hai. As soon as Naruto woke up, he showed clear signs of dehydration and chakra exhaustion. I would think it due to the immense damage he sustained during battle that the effects were so severe. After I removed his armor to check his wounds, I saw that he was completely unmarred. Not even a scar remained."

As Asuma finished his explanation, Hiruzen stood up from his seat and stared out the window behind him. All was silent for a few moments before he began speaking once more.

"So it would seem that the Kyūbi is not all what we thought to be." Naruto slightly smiled. It was good to see other people see the goodness in Kurama.

"But..." Naruto's smile disappeared. "I would still advise caution when dealing with your tenant, Naruto-kun. For all we know, it could just be getting you to let your guard down. " Naruto wanted to speak up in defense of Kurama, but kept his lips sealed.

'_A samurai must obey his master to his dying breathe. To do anything else would bring dishonor.'_ Naruto recalled.

"Hai, Hokage-dono. As you will."

"Then, without further interruption, you are dismissed Naruto-kun. Have a nice day." Naruto bowed and promptly left the room, eager to get some rest. As soon as the door shut, both Sarutobis met each other's stare, a silent message passing between them.

'_Keep an eye on him.'_

* * *

_Next time on Return to Prominence..._

"_What!?" Ino yelled "What do you mean you won't come in with me?!"_

"_It's better this way Ino. You won't get as much flak for hanging around 'The Demon Brat'." Naruto replied, abashed._

_Ino had a incredulous look on her face."That's ridiculous! Come on, don't be so asinine!" She forcefully dragged Naruto inside the store, Naruto silently following her with a depressed smile._

_As Ino rummaged through the clothing section, Naruto noticed they were getting an increasing number of stares._

"_Oh, how cute! Love at such a young age!"_

"_Oh my, what a handsome young man. I could eat him up!"_

"_Hey, wait, look at his cheeks..."_

_And not all of them were positive._

* * *

And cut! God this chapter was a pain in the ass! Ugh, sorry about that guys. But hey, I did say no promises right? And now school is so close too. My god procrastination is so evil! And if you guys have noticed, I'm sorry for such a short chapter, but I felt like you guys waited long enough for an update.

1\. Now before any of you start lynching me for bring technology like this into Naruto, keep in mind that there are computers, trains, and even mentions of cellphones in the canon. Don't believe me? Look up the Naruto Wiki.

2\. The song is call **Period **by **Chemistry**. If any of you have watched Full Metal Alchemist, then you have probably heard this. Give it a try if you like Japanese music

Please, if you liked it, leave a review! If you have any criticisms, please also leave a review. If you have any questions, please PM me! I'll see you next time. Ja ne!


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